Pubdate: Wed, 01 Jun 2005
Source: Recorder & Times, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 Recorder and Times
Contact:  http://www.recorder.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2216
Section: A, page 4
Author: Nick Gardiner

JOB ACTION MAY REDUCE STUDENT ATTENDANCE AT ANTI-DRUG PROGRAM

A work-to-rule campaign by public school elementary teachers is
expected to cut student attendance by one-third at a highly regarded
anti-drug program now under way in Brockville.

The sixth Racing Against Drugs program for Grade 5 and 6 students
started Tuesday at the Brockville Memorial Centre with more than 450
kids in attendance from eight public, Catholic and private schools
from Leeds, Grenville and Lanark throughout the day.

The event continues today and Thursday but early expectations of
attracting 1,600 students have been reduced to about 1,000, after
teachers announced a provincewide job action that includes withdrawing
from field trips.

Racing Against Drugs committee co-chairman Rebecca Kavanagh said
students from Catholic and private schools are unaffected by the job
action and will be coming as scheduled.

As well, the committee was hoping to get the word out to students
taught at home or other private schools that there is room to
accommodate them, she said.

"We expect over 1,000 for sure. That's not too bad at all considering
all that's happening."

A public health nurse out of the Smiths Falls office of the Leeds,
Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, Kavanagh has been involved
with the program since its inception.

She said more than 10,000 area students have benefited from the
program in that time and each new group of pupils approaches it with
an enthusiasm that's contagious for the sponsoring social agencies,
police forces, youth clubs, volunteer groups and private businesses.

"They see the kids are revved up. They're just absorbing the
information."

An array of interactive pit-stops serves to get the students thinking
and talking about the consequences of drug and alcohol use, she said.

Popular stations include one where a car is lifted by hydraulics and
rolled to demonstrate the effects on an unbuckled mannequin, a martial
arts demonstration and two sites where fatal vision goggles were used
to replicate the sensation of being impaired by alcohol.

The climactic conclusion features teachers racing remote controlled
miniatures over a 25-foot oval set up in front of the arena stands
where the students watch and cheer.

Kavanagh said the event has a special flavour and the community
support is fantastic.

"We have these constant players that come out every year," she
said.

"I work on several different community events but there's nothing like
this. If you haven't called six months before the event, they will
call you.

"They find it so good for getting their message out."

She said the health unit had a drag race station where students could
test their reaction times as the starting lights flashed to green.

At another health unit pit stop, a relay race required students to
work as a team and solve problems collectively.

"From a public health perspective, it's not too often we get a chance
to reach so many kids in such a positive way," she said.

No doubt, the 11- and 12-year-old students were being entertained and
informed Tuesday.

"It was just a really fun experience. You can play safe in a fun way,"
said Jessica Keating of Gananoque's St. Joseph Catholic School.

Classmate Chelsea MacDonald said she was interested by a display about
the danger of expectant mothers drinking.

"If a girl gets pregnant and she drinks, the baby will get sick," said
MacDonald.

MacDonald's teacher Colleen Bennett won her students free family
passes to the Brockville Ontario Speedway by teaming up with a
colleague to win the climactic race against the other schools.

Bennett said the students are genuinely interested in the Racing
Against Drugs program.

"They talk a lot about the interactive games and making good
decisions," she said.

"It works very well with the VEP (Very Effective Persons) program,
which we just finished."

Racing Against Drugs is held alternately in Brockville and Smiths
Falls and Brockville Police Sergeant Doug Locke, event co-chairman,
praised the coalition of community organizations which keeps it
operating so successfully.

"We couldn't do it without everybody working together because it's a
huge program," said Locke.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin