A group of students at Albert Lea High School are committing to a chemical-free lifestyle and encouraging other students to follow suit.

Tuesday, May 08, 2001

A group of students at Albert Lea High School are committing to a chemical-free lifestyle and encouraging other students to follow suit.

A new program at ALHS called TIDE (Teens Involved in Drug Education) has captured the interest of about 20 students so far, said advisor Lori Nelson. TIDE would involve promoting leadership skills among peers, healthy lifestyle choices and participation in chemical-free activities, Nelson said.

The program, established by the Minnesota State High School League, also involves signing year-long contracts promising to remain drug and alcohol free, Nelson said. Students who fail to live up to the terms of the contract must make apologies and terminate their membership in the program.

&uot;I think the idea would be helpful at our school,&uot; said Sophomore Krystle Garcia. &uot;It can show how being chemical-free is cool, and that we can have fun, too.&uot;

Nelson said she hopes to find training for a core of eight students this summer to get the program off the ground in time for the 2001/2002 school year. She presented an outline of the TIDE program to the school board Monday.

&uot;The students in this group aren’t only committing to being drug and alcohol free, they also need to be role models for younger students,&uot; Nelson said. &uot;We plan to get out to the other schools in the district.&uot;

The program would cost about $1,650 for the year, Nelson said, and the funding has already been donated by the Freeborn County Drug Coalition and the district’s athletic department. Other fundraisers are in the planning stages, she said.

Similar programs are already in place in Austin and Owatonna.

A letter will be sent home with students alerting them to the new program, Nelson said. Once the core group of students are trained in the program’s policies, procedures and behaviors, they can begin recruiting more students and signing contracts.