16529_ShadySide.qxd:216709Catholic 8/24/09 3:25 PM Page 1 The First “Community of Concern” A Parent’s Guide Washington Metropolitan Area We wish to acknowledge and thank these schools and other organizations who joined together For the Prevention of through this booklet to form the first “Community of Concern,” under the guidance of the Georgetown Preparatory School. Their leadership and vision has inspired all of us—parents, Alcohol, Tobacco, and students and schools—to work together to prevent alcohol, tobacco and other drug use through education and cooperation. Other Drug Use The Academy of the Holy Cross Montgomery County Public Schools Archbishop Carroll High School National Cathedral School Best Friends Foundation The Nora School Bishop McNamara High School Norwood School The Bullis School Our Lady of Good Counsel High School Connelly School of the Holy Child Parents Council of Washington DeMatha Catholic High School Parkmont School Elizabeth Seton High School The Potomac School Pittsburgh Consortium of Independent Schools Episcopal High School St. Albans School Community Day School Flint Hill School St. Andrew’s Episcopal School The Campus School of Carlow University Georgetown Preparatory School St. Anselm’s Abbey School Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School St. John’s College High School The Ellis School Gonzaga College High School St. John’s Episcopal School Fox Chapel Country Day School The Heights School St. Mary’s Ryken High School The Kiski School The Holton-Arms School St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School Landon School St. Vincent Pallotti High School St. Edmund’s Academy Langley High School Sidwell Friends School Sewickley Academy The Langley School Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart Shady Side Academy The Madeira School Suburban Hospital Valley School of Ligonier Maret School Thornton Friends School Mater Dei High School Washington Episcopal School Winchester Thurston School Washington International School Over one and a half million parents from both public and private schools share this resource throughout the nation. The “Community of Concern” is continuing to grow. Shady Side Academy Shady Side Academy 423 Fox Chapel Road Pittsburgh, PA 15238 412-968-3060 PITTSBURGH 16529_ShadySide.qxd:216709Catholic 8/24/09 3:25 PM Page 2 What Our Sons and Daughters Want From Us Shady Side Academy As parents of adolescents, it can be difficult to know how to address alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. This Student Wellness-Substance Abuse Policies survey was distributed to a representative group of students from our schools. These comments and answers were given by our sons and daughters, the most important people to care for, listen to and protect. 1041 students The Junior School community focuses on wellness for our students, allow the use or possession of mind-altering chemicals including alcohol responded. Here is the survey and the top five responses to each question. parents, faculty, staff and administration. The students (at developmentally among our students. We must also acknowledge that ultimately the choice appropriate times) are educated about the life-threatening dangers inherent and the responsibility of making the decision to use is the student’s own. in the use of alcohol and other mind-altering chemicals and about the disease Community of Concern Schools’ Substance Abuse Survey of chemical dependency. This education takes place in their science classes STATEMENT or in their homerooms, as deemed appropriate by their teachers. We Current Shady Side Academy students are prohibited to possess, use, sale, Please let us help you. We will be writing an Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Handbook. The most important introduce the topic of refusal skills and through role playing activities we transport and/or distribute any mind-altering chemicals and related aspect of the handbook is to provide information that will be helpful to you, your parents and fellow students. We assist children in understanding how important those skills are to their paraphernalia. Any involvement with alcohol, other mind-altering chemicals wellness. Through this educational process we hope to raise the children’s (including being under their influence), or possession of any related would like your input. Please give us your suggestions about this important topic! awareness and prevent them from making decisions that will hinder them paraphernalia shall subject a student to the disciplinary process. All items from reaching their potential. involved in an offense at Shady Side Academy or a Shady Side Academy event will be confiscated. These items will be disposed of according to the 1.What is the most important thing that people should know about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs? We encourage parents to partner with us in educating our young children laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 1. They can hurt you and are bad for you. about this very important topic by reading the Community of Concern booklet and discussing it with their children as the need arises. We realize POLICY FOR STUDENTS RETURNING FROM 2. They are dangerous and can kill you. we can only be as effective as the support we garner from the entire REHABILITATION community: students, faculty, administration, staff, parents and trustees. Shady Side Academy has mandatory consequences for offenses 3. They negatively affect your future and mess up your life. involving alcohol and other mind-altering chemicals. Shady Side Academy is a smoke free campus and thus the use of any tobacco 4. They are addictive. products, including chewing tobacco, snuff, pipe tobacco, cigars and 1. The student must give the treatment facility permission to release to the 5. Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs are not cool - don’t use them. cigarettes, is prohibited, school any and all information the treatment facility deems necessary. 2. The student must give to the Director of Personal Counseling his or her “They are windows to depression, severe loss of many things and even death . they control you.” Shady Side Academy’s Senior School’s policy on alcohol and other drugs is Sober Living Plan upon return to the Academy. printed here in full. The Middle School will follow the guidelines of this 3. The student and the student’s family must work out a contract for re- 2.What is your message to younger students about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs? policy with two modifications: entry to the Academy with the Director of Personal Counseling, the 1. Don’t do them - Just say “NO.” Director of Studies, and the Head of Senior School. The student must be 1. “Disciplinary Process” in the Middle School will refer to the deliberations following an aftercare program that is approved by the treatment facility. 2. Resist peer pressure - find people who don’t use them. and recommendations of the Student Advisory Committee and their The student must be held accountable for fulfilling the contract with clear promulgation by the Head of School. consequences if the student does not fulfill his or her part of the contract. 3. Be careful. 2. Given the ages of the children who are in our care, we may adjust our If a student is not following an aftercare program, or violating any other 4. Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs are not cool. response in consideration of grade level or particular circumstances. terms of their contract, the student and her or his parents will be called in for a conference with the Head of Senior School, the Director of Studies, 5. Don’t drink and drive. POLICY ON ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS (Senior School) and the Director of Personal Counseling. During this conference the student will be informed that he or she must fulfill his or her contract, for “Although it may seem that drinking is not harmful and is fun, its effects can change the course of your life.” PHILOSOPHY the next violation of the contract will be a signal that the student does not 3.What do you want your parents to tell you about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs? WWe, the Shady Side Academy Community, recognize the virtually wish to be at Shady Side, and the student will be immediately unlimited potential that exists within the student body. We believe a part of DISMISSED. 1. Consequences of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use - both punitive and physical. our obligation is to create opportunities to help these young people tap this 4. Recognizing that chemical dependency is a disease that causes great potential. It has been proven that teenage use of alcohol and/or other mind- damage to a family unit, the Academy strongly recommends that the 2. Don’t use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. altering chemicals can hinder this process and prevent a student from family of a recovering chemically dependent person attend family support attaining all or even part of this potential. As a result of our concern about groups like POTADA, AlAnon, and/or their treatment center's family 3. Nothing or not much. this problem, a policy on alcohol and other drugs has been adopted. The counseling program. Such counseling dramatically increases the chance of 4. Everything they know - what alcohol, tobacco and other drugs did to their friends. goals of this policy are: (1) to urge students to seek other means than the use success at recovery for both the chemically dependent person and their of chemicals as a way of coping with life; (2) to emphasize that to ask for help family. 5. Be careful. Be responsible. is not a sign of weakness, but an act of strength; and (3) to stress that we will keep the best interest of each student as well as the school community in TERMINOLOGY “Let students know the dangers early in life so they don’t have to find out on their own.” mind at all times.