By:Scott Brinton
The new group comprises students, parents, teachers, coaches, social workers, guidance counselors and administrators, and is led by Calhoun Principal David Seinfeld.
Last summer, Seinfeld began meeting with Barry Wilansky, executive director of the North Merrick-based Tempo Group, a substance-abuse treatment clinic and education outreach program. Together, the two laid the groundwork for what quickly became a Calhoun committee to foster awareness of how dangerous drug abuse is.
Wilansky said he is impressed by Seinfeld's willingness to tackle a controversial subject like substance abuse in a significant way. Too often, he said, school administrators only pay it lip service, but Seinfeld has committed to a long-term, school-wide effort to address drugs. "We've identified this as a focus for the year and beyond," the principal said.
Wilansky said, "This is an initiative that Mr. Seinfeld started that made it safe to discuss [substance abuse] among relevant constituencies."
Wilansky explained that the group will not only look at ways to fight substance abuse, but also explore reasons students use drugs as well as ways to make them feel comfortable with and proud of their decision to stay away from them. "Not all kids drink and drug on weekends, and we have to understand how students manage it," Wilansky said.
The committee is now in its beginning stages. "We're exchanging information and ideas and beliefs," Seinfeld said. The group has already identified short-range projects. For example, it is putting together an informational pamphlet that will be sent to the home of every Calhoun student. "We want to make sure the community knows it's not acceptable to drink and do drugs," Seinfeld said. "We want to make sure the message from the school is in line with the message from home."
Students want to paint an anti-drug mural somewhere in the school. Assemblies are in the works. Additionally, Seinfeld said, the school is looking at how to embed the anti-drug message more deeply in the school's current character-education curriculum.
Senior seminars to discuss college life, which in the past have leaned heavily toward important skills like avoiding credit-card debt and balancing a checkbook, will now also examine substance abuse in greater depth. At the same time, Seinfeld would like to look at new ways to bring the anti-drug message to students at an earlier age. He's considering reaching out to Merrick Avenue Middle School about possibly joining Calhoun's committee.
Liz Gillen, vice president of the Calhoun PTA and a member of the Colts Sports Boosters Association, is on the substance-abuse awareness committee. Gillen said the task at hand is enormous, but she believes the committee is up to the job. "It's going to take a lot of dedication," Gillen said.
She also said she is encouraged to see representatives of so many sectors of Calhoun life join in the effort, especially young people. "It's a breath of fresh air to see students involved in this. There is more good in this school than bad," she said.
Maria Demchak, the Calhoun PTA treasurer, said the fact that a group of concerned people is meeting to discuss substance abuse by itself makes a profound statement. "My child knows this is going on, so she knows we care enough to discuss this problem," Demchak said. "We care as a community about this. We're going to take a lot of baby steps, but baby steps count."
Seinfeld said, "Sometimes schools turn their backs" to substance abuse. "I see myself as a parent to each student in the building."
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