NOBLE HIGH STUDENTS FORM ANTI-DRUG ABUSE GROUP

NORTH BERWICK, Maine-- Some students at most schools use drugs, but most
students at Noble High School don't.

That's the message members of C.O.O.L. -- Can't Overdose on Love, the
school's teen substance abuse committee -- want to get across to parents
and others.

"We're saying we're average. But we're not happy with just being average,"
said C.O.O.L. member Lois Davis.

At a roundtable discussion Tuesday, C.O.O.L. members said they represent a
variety of backgrounds.

"We're not all goody-goodys," Karalyn Phipps said.

"We just want kids that are out there to know we care," Andrew Haywood said.

But they are concerned that their efforts are being interpreted by the
community as a response to a crisis they say isn't there.

"What makes me angry is that we are getting a reputation as a druggie
school," Lois Davis said. "Other schools may not talk about it as much, and
because we do, people think we have a huge problem."

Since September, school officials have suspended and expelled several
students for bringing drugs -- from prescription to illegal to over the
counter medicines used improperly -- to the school.

But many say the number is misleading.

Principal Russell Tornrose attributed the suspensions not to
a-larger-than-average problem, but to better-than-average communication
between students and staff.

When he sought ways to help students and keep them away from drugs and in
their classes, he decided the issue was a cultural one that had been around
for a long time, and that a societal shift toward addressing it was the
only way to change it.

News coverage drew parents and community members to forums and committee
meetings on the topic, but also led to the misperception that the school
was battling a sudden crisis, Tornrose said.

"I think the kids think everyone is doing it" said substance abuse
counselor Jenn Casey.

Everyone isn't, she said. But most students probably know someone who has.

Most people in the community at large could say the same thing, Casey added.

Tornrose said it's not important how many kids are doing drugs, but that
more students are willing to say they do not. "We want to start a
dialogue," he said.

Does Noble High School have a "big drug problem?"

According to administrators, if there is even one student impacted by
substance abuse, their own or that of a friend or family member, there is a
problem.

But school officials say there are no statistics on how many students at
Noble High School have tried smoking, alcohol, or various drugs.

Surveys of schools in the state by other associations suggest there is
probably more than one.

Officers from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency say the region's substance
abuse rate appears to be average for a school of its size -- about 1,000
students -- in this part of the country.

But the state police aren't satisfied with average drug abuse rates, either.

Among high school students, marijuana is by far the most used illegal
substance, according to most sources familiar with the issue.

And like many of their parents years ago, some students will question
evidence that marijuana, and other drugs, have lasting harmful effects.

Those students are not in C.O.O.L., and the 15 core members of the
committee say they want to find better ways to disseminate health
information to others.

Among their suggestions are a return to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education
program for high school students, or something like it.

"DARE didn't do anything for me in sixth grade. It was more like an
introduction to drugs. They were more abstract to me then, it wasn't like I
actually saw them," Davis said.

Algebra teacher and C.O.O.L. supporter Jeff Barr said he'd like to see a
half semester health course that addresses the impact of addictive
substances on the body.

Students have hosted a community forum, have suggested gaming and movie
nights at the school to bring parents and students together, and the adult
education program may offer a course in parenting teen-agers as well.

Casey said she thinks it's a good sign the school has 15 students willing
to devote their time, energy, and resources to talk about substance abuse
issues.

"Kids talk now. Some of my referrals come from students who are using,
because they are worried about a friend," she said. Students said alcohol,
tobacco, and other drugs are not new.

They said the only thing that's new is that they want kids to have other
ways to take risks.

Everyone said they know they've taken on a complicated issue.

"I think we kind of know it's not going to be easy," said student Katie Brown.

"It's kind of a guessing thing, you know?" Phipps added.

"We don't say we have all the answers. We may just try a bunch of stuff and
see what works," said C.O.O.L. student Tom Tufts.