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Prom Night Safety the Focus of PVHAC Activities
The Putnam Valley Health Advisory Council (HAC) in collaboration with the Putnam Valley Central School District (PVCSD) is making sure that parents and students are aware of safety issues during the 2006 prom season.
Each year, the HAC, in cooperation with the PVHS administration and the School District, sends out a prom night safety letter to all Putnam Valley High School (PVHS) families. This year's letter emphasized the need for parents to be strong in their convictions. It read, in part:
"We all know that society sends mixed messages to kids: Be just who you are, but make sure your body is perfect. Many professions can be noble and fulfilling, but don't forget to earn enough money to drive a great big SUV. Seat belts save lives, but you don't need to wear one every time you drive somewhere.
"Maybe we, as parents, send mixed messages, too. Some parents, good caring parents, who are our friends and neighbors, believe that it would be
better for students to drink at their home, rather than somewhere in the woods or in a parked car. They allow, condone, or actually participate in making alcohol available to teenagers, since "they are going to drink anyway." Parents can always choose to allow their own child an alcoholic drink in their own home, but no one can make that decision for another parent's child.
"We know that every year kids are severely injured or die in drug or alcohol-related incidents. Every year, in every community, some high school student is involved in a senseless, preventable tragedy. We mourn, and we hope that the next call in the middle of the night is not received at our home. But maybe there is more that we can do. Please think about this seriously. We are approaching the end of the school year, the time when these issues seem to become pressing. Let's come together to give a clear, consistent message to our children."
The letter goes on to offer a list of suggestions for ways that parents can help their children make good decisions.
In addition to the letter, this year's mailing included a copy of a DVD produced by the Peers Influence Peers Partners h i p (www.peerspartnership.org). The program, entitled "College Reality: 101" includes visual messages on binge drinking produced in part by Putnam Valley-area college students who were involved in the Peers Partnership while in high school. Also enclosed was a booklet published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, entitled, What Parents Need to Know about College Drinking.
Putnam County Sheriff Deputy Richard Mansfield, who is the Resource Officer at PVHS, has arranged for a "totaled" car to be brought to the campus for the week preceding the Senior Prom, which takes place this year on May 26th. The car, which was involved in a serious front-end accident with airbag deployment, is draped with a banner reminding students that drinking and drugs can kill, and sits on the grass at the entrance to the PVHS parking lot.
Putnam Valley HAC chairperson, Pam Darreff, who teaches health and also coaches sports at Putnam Valley Middle School, is a vocal advocate for prom night safety. She emphasized that "the Putnam Valley HAC's main focus is the health, safety, and well-being of all the students in our district. If we can save one young life through our prom night safety efforts, those efforts will have been successful."
The HAC will continue to work with the District and High School administrations, as well as with the PVHS Parent Teacher Student Association, to develop health and safety messages that current students can take with them as they leave Putnam Valley and head off to college or other posthigh school endeavors.
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