By: Scott Brinton
Lynn Tenaglia, of North Bellmore, knows how hard it is to get an anti-drug message across to young people. She-s a Long Beach High School health teacher and a member of Long Beach-s Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking. So often, Tenaglia said, she finds herself fighting students- tall tales about drugs that are passed down by older siblings or friends.
Tenaglia often hears the one about how if you eat peanuts, you won-t get drunk. She always challenges the wild assertion. Inevitably, some student says, No, no, I saw.
Tenaglia persists. I say, ÔIt-s just not possible. Produce this person.- And the student quiets down and starts listening.
Tenaglia, the mother of two and the vice president of the Saw Mill Road Elementary PTA in North Bellmore, considers the Long Beach School District and the city models of substance-abuse education. The city-s underage drinking coalition, based at Long Beach Hospital, encompasses numerous community groups and takes on far-reaching projects.
You talk about a community effort. It-s parents, the PTA, Long Beach Police Department. It-s the schools, the social workers, Tenaglia said. It-s what I would consider the definition of a community effort.
Long Beach has what it calls the Law Squad, a police officer, attorney and judge who hold student assemblies to discuss the legal implications of substance abuse. They let students know that their parents could be held liable in civil and legal court if something went wrong during a keg party at their homes. If someone were to overdose during a kegger, Tenaglia said, the parents could wind up losing their home. Many students just aren-t aware of that fact, she said.
In Long Beach, all roads lead to one year-end event: Morning Madness. It-s an alcohol-free post-prom party that people throughout the community support. The Long Beach High School PTA hosts the party at Jillian-s in Westbury, an eatery at the Source Mall that-s full of video games and pool tables. All seniors are invited to this free event, even if they didn-t attend the prom. Food is plentiful, and prizes, donated by local businesses, are given out hourly. At the end of the night, a car and a computer are given away. There-s only one condition: The winning students have to be at Jillian-s to collect their prizes.
A bus sits outside Jillian-s. If a student shows up drunk, he or she is immediately taken home. Teachers are always invited, but don-t serve as chaperones. Rather, they-re there to enjoy one last night with their students. Tenaglia said she always attends. It-s fun, she said. You-ve got a bunch of kids you never thought would be together. Everyone-s mixed, having a great time, and no one-s under the influence.
The health teacher said that Morning Madness is all about keeping young people safe on prom night, when they too often drink heavily for the first time, and may drive under the influence or get in a car with a drunken driver.
But it-s more than that, Tenaglia said. Morning Madness is a year-long effort that brings Long Beach together to promote substance-abuse awareness. There are numerous drug-education talks and assemblies surrounding it.
Most of all, Tenaglia said, the PTA makes a statement to children that they love them. Doing something like this is showing kids you care, she said. This is not lip service.
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