Students ‘think,’ promote drug, alcohol free Prom

There are hot and sweaty teenagers everywhere, dripping as they walk off the Prom dance floor.

Brushing up against someone, a girl cringes as her arm is covered in some stranger’s sticky sweat.

But nothing deters her or the other students, who are all rushing in excitement for the exit and for the after parties to come.

Every year kids and their Prom dates leave dances ready for a night of partying, and every year at this same time people die in car crashes.

These car crashes are a result of drinking and driving.

Many students at MC have already seen the tee shirts that read on the front “I think before I act” and on the back give an astounding statistic.

The number of alcohol related traffic fatalities is greater than the number of deaths in which war(s)?

1. WWII

2. Korean

3. Vietnam

4. Iraqi Freedom

5. All

Shocking is just one word to describe this fact, and it is because of this fact that MC teacher, Barbara Charlebois created the tee shirts.

These bright yellow shirts, easily spotted in the hallways, are a beacon for her program.

“It’s a three year program and we had some money and we thought that the best way to spend it was to do ‘I think before I act’” Charlebois said. “It’s about students who pledge to be alcohol and drug free… it’s not just a Prom campaign but also about life in general to think before we do things especially when we’re going to do something stupid.”

And her idea for the shirts came from her yearning to spread the word and publicize the campaign.

“The tee shirts were just this year as a result of a three year grant, a federal grant that helps to encourage kids to reduce their consumption of alcohol,” Charlebois continued. “Unfortunately we have lost some young people as a result of drinking and driving or being a passenger in a car.”

It is because of this sad fact that Charlebois feels so strongly about her I Think Before I Act program, and she really wants to get kids involved. She wants them to care about their well being enough to also make a pledge.

“We need to think before we act… our idea was to have kids promise to be alcohol and drug free for Prom,” Charlebois said.

In an effort to promote the campaign further, during the recent Club Fair, the “I think before I act” tee shirts were handed out to students who signed their names on a large banner, as a promise.

They were promising to stay substance free for Prom.

The campaign right now is so far so good. However that does not mean that Charlebois doesn’t want more people to join.

After all, Charlebois said it best.

“You don’t have to drink or use to have a good time; it’s not a rite of passage.”

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