New technology allowing adolescents to consume various substances becomes available on a regular basis, and adolescents see increasingly frequent warnings about the damaging effects of substance use and abuse on their health and futures. Slogans such as “just say no,” promoting complete restraint from the use of illicit substances for minors, can be found on billboards and social media––appearing with a frequency similar to that of advertisements for those very same substances. For many students, these messages––both those promoting substances and those against substance use––can be overwhelming and ineffective as they decide whether to engage in substance use.

Freedom from Chemical Dependency representative Ian Barney, who recovered from substance abuse when he was in high school, spent the week of November 5 at Parker speaking with each Upper School grade. Barney spoke with the seventh grade, the ninth grade in their health classes, the tenth grade in the Harris Center during Morning Ex, the eleventh grade in the Harris Center on the afternoon of November 7, and the twelfth grade during their Senior Seminar classes.

“This is the first year where we have been able to do a little bit of programming for all the grades, and over the past few years, I think a couple of things have made that possible,” Upper School Counselor Binita Donohue said. “Dr. Childrey’s sabbatical involved revamping the health curriculum. There has been interest from parents that we do more.”

Donohue, along with Upper School Counselor Gary Childrey, began each presentation by reviewing data from a survey taken by 8th grade through 12th grade students in May 2017 about drug and alcohol use.

According to Donohue, the survey is just as informative about student perceptions regarding substance use as the raw data themselves is regarding amount of substance use.“It helps us just identify overall how are we doing as a community and what are the social norms that we’re seeing,” Donohue said. “For me, the data that was helpful was understanding what our community says is okay to do, and what does that mean about what kind of education we need.”

According to an article published in December 2017 by co-Editor-in-Chief Avani Kalra, survey results indicated that Parker upperclassmen consume drugs and alcohol at a much higher rate than the national average. The article reported that “usage of marijuana at Parker is decreasing among underclassmen and remaining steady among upperclassmen,” while the rate of vaporizer or e-cigarette use is rising. Additionally, at the time of the survey, “41% of the Upper School reported drug or alcohol usage in the past 30 days.”

Junior Wilson Cedillo appreciated seeing the survey’s results. “I was surprised by the consumption rates of the senior class––they were more than I expected,” Cedillo said. “It was a bit outdated, just because the survey was taken two years ago. But some of the information was useful, and it helped give context to the presentations.”

Donohue used the survey to identify the community’s needs regarding substance use. “I think the purpose of doing it is to look at the data and then plan interventions based on what the data says so that we’re hopefully relevant to what our community is saying,” Donohue said. “Ian came from FCD, who did the survey, and so he was already heads-up on what the data says…he was really well-informed.”

   Upper School math teacher and sophomore gradehead Victoria Lee thought Barney was effective in discussing with sophomores the consequences of substance use. “As an adult who was in the room,” Lee said, “my impression was that he was relatively effective — I’m a bit jaded that I’ve been teaching for so long. Teenagers, I get, need to experience things for them to realize that good things or bad things happen. But I thought that he appeared to be effective because he was young, and close to their age, and this person wasn’t somebody who has been continually telling teenagers all of these pitfalls.”

Sophomore Will Ehrlich agreed with Lee’s positive impression of Barney. “It was nice to get a fresh take on the subject,” Ehrlich said. “He wasn’t necessarily saying ‘you’re a bad person if you do drugs,’ he was just saying that drug use could have consequences in the future and I think that was very helpful, to be reassured that you’re not a bad person if you make those decisions.”

Donohue thought Barney’s visit had a positive impact on Parker’s Upper School and wished Barney was allotted more time in the curriculum. “ I don’t think one 40-minute conversation is really a lot of education, but it’s better than nothing,” Donohue said. “Do I think it’s going to eradicate drug use in our community? No. But I think we can target groups of students in order to make the school safer.”