Pubdate: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 Source: Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH) Copyright: 2014 The Plain Dealer Contact: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/letter-to-editor/ Website: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/342 Author: Angela Townsend SCHOOL-WIDE DRUG TESTING: GILMOUR STUDENTS REACT GATES MILLS -- Moments after learning in a morning assembly that they would be subjected to mandatory drug testing starting in the fall, four Gilmour Academy students volunteered to sit down with the Plain Dealer. The students - all juniors - expressed surprise and concern about the news delivered to them by Head of School Brother Robert Lavelle. One said he wondered if the announcement was triggered by a specific event. But they also shared the positive points they said the testing, which will be done by analyzing hair samples, will bring to the Gilmour community. Here is what they said. On whether or not the news about mandatory drug testing came as a shock. Omar Azem, 16, of Gates Mills: I think initially there was some - I don't want to say shock, but there was some surprise obviously because nobody really saw it coming. But I think speaking from a very neutral perspective, it's definitely a necessary step. I think it's a good step. I think it's going to be monumental. It's a lot to take in when you're sitting in those seats and you hear that your whole entire school is going to be drug tested next year, but I think that a lot of the students can see that it's a good thing. Megan Polak, 17, of Kirtland: There has been a lot of talk about how drug use has been a real problem, an increased problem lately. While your first impression was like, this came out of nowhere, afterwards you're like, but it makes a lot of sense. And it's the right move to take to address the problem. Kiley Eble, 17, of Westlake: It was almost scary. As soon as you hear that, you start thinking, even though I don't use drugs, what happens if I was around somebody who was using drugs and it somehow got in my system? But I also think that this is great for those who need help, because they will get that help in the end. On how serious a problem drug use and drug abuse is among teenagers. Omar: I wouldn't necessarily single out the Gilmour community, but just [with] people in the area and people my age, the problem is very real. I see kids that, truthfully speaking, drug abuse is just second nature. A lot of those kids quite frankly are headed in the wrong direction, and it's painful to watch. A big part of me is very, very happy about this because a lot of my closest friends, they're headed down that path. Kiley: I know there are athletes who use drugs, and I think this will get them on the right path and improve their sports. It's a big part of their life to do a sport - the drug testing will get them to be better performance. Megan: You don't necessarily witness it firsthand, but you hear about it and you know distantly people who have been in contact with drugs and who use drugs. While you read about it all the time you witness it in the community that you live in ? you see it happening every day. Ian Socrates, 17, of Aurora: I feel like drugs have just become part of the teenage culture. It's seen as a way to fit in with those people that you want to be with, those kids who are seen as higher up in the hierarchy of high school society, I guess. Omar: The biggest problem is pot, it's marijuana for sure. It's easy for them to get their hands on. People think it's not a gateway drug to anything. "I'm not going to head down any certain path if I start with pot." But that's the number one, I think. It's become a lot more normal. It's become a regularity. People will know someone who's dealing. On concerns they have about the mandatory drug testing Ian: How will their lives be affected if maybe one of my friends is tested positive? What will happen to them? Megan: It's not so much whether any of this information will be leaked in a way. I know that Gilmour would try to do their best to keep it, and they probably will. But I'm worried not so much about the Gilmour administration [as I am] the students who get the results back. A lot of them like to confide in their friends and I'm worried that through that aspect, it may spread. How it will affect the [reputation] of the student and their future. Omar: There's that fear that this could end up taking [students] away from us. Obviously this program is not meant to be punitive. Brother Robert stressed that. But it could get to a point that, if somebody really has a problem, they might not be here anymore. On whether random drug testing gives them a good excuse to use if they're pressured to use drugs Megan: It's more tangible than just any excuse that you can come up with. In a way, it's giving them a defense, a shield to hold up in order to protect themselves against peer pressure. Omar: A lot of that peer pressure stems from fear of reputation. A lot of kids, the reason why they say yes is because of reputation. They want to appear to be cool. They don't want to appear to be like, a loser. It's not like an excuse, but it's a good thing to have in your pocket. Kiley: I use [being a swimmer] as my out, and I keep those friends. This will definitely give those kids who aren't athletes the excuse and to still keep their friends and have fun not using drugs. On thoughts about having to submit a sample of hair as part of the drug test Omar: Some students are obviously worried about that. Initially there was some panic; it definitely freaked some kids out. Ian: A lot of people haven't really been exposed to what hair analysis is. They know just drug testing as like peeing in a cup. Most people have done that before, but I don't think anyone really knows the specifics of hair analysis - what shows up on it, how long those products can stay in your system for it to show up on the test. On talking with parents about the drug test Omar: This move by Gilmour, it puts it on the table for a lot of parents who maybe have not ever have sat down and had that conversation with their kids. Gilmour is kind of giving them a better way to do so. You have a reason to talk about it now. Kiley: For the parents who do know their kids are using it, they are going to want to send their kids here because they know they're going to get help. Ian: Before, if parents talked about this to their kids, the kids would feel like they're being accused of using drugs. But this program gives the parents an "out" to address their child about the consequence of drug use.