SIGOURNEY —
Thanks in part to a federal grant, educators in Keokuk County say they’ve seen a change for the better when it comes to underage drinking.
The school districts that participated in the grant became part of the Keokuk County Schools Tactics on Alcohol Abuse Reduction (KC STAAR). The grant money was for three years of effort, but with low costs and community support, administrators made the grant last four years in funding the program.
The mission, according to a release from the organization, was to address underage and binge drinking behaviors and attitudes among all students in grades six through 12 in the Keota, Pekin, Sigourney and Tri-County school districts.
“You don’t hear about drinking, where in the past, that was [not uncommon in] high school,” said Nathan Wood, principal at Pekin High School. “I’m not going to say it never happens, but I don’t hear talk about parties — it’s not the ‘cool’ thing to do right now.”
In fact, what’s accepted among students is reinforcing the message. He said the “action committee” is composed of students who meet monthly to plan how they’ll tell their fellow students to make good decisions.
To celebrate the end of the multi-year grant program, KC STAAR administrators did two things. They hosted a trip to Adventureland — and sent out a survey to find out if there were any attitude changes. They compared results to the same survey from four years ago.
• Sixth- through 12th-grade students who ever engaged in binge drinking went from 25 percent in fall 2008 to 10 percent in spring 2012.
• Sixth- through 12th-grade students who believe that alcohol abuse is not harmful to health went from 11 percent to 8 percent.
• Sixth- through 12th-grade students who see no problem with alcohol went from 23 percent to 10 percent.
“The number of students taking this short survey ranged from 634 to 978, so it should be a pretty good indication,” said Bonnie Meier, KC STAAR evaluator.
Sigourney Superintendent Benita Gonzales said this will be her second year in the district, so she couldn’t describe what the culture was like four years ago. But right now, she said, she’s seeing enthusiasm from her students.
“The kids appear very interested in continuing these efforts,” she said. “There won’t be the budget, but there are still [things] they can do.”
Wood said with the budget, the goal was to present a curriculum for students to go through in ways relevant to them. They learn about making good decisions — and the harmful effects when they make poor decisions.
That lesson plan is geared toward the age group being addressed and, according to the organization’s website, gets help from members of the community.
“The evidence is clear — the culture is shifting — and hopefully it stays that way,” said Lynne Zoulek, project director for the grant.
But one of the best things that happened because of the program, said Wood, is that it got the conversation started.
“Just talking about drugs and alcohol with them, both at school [and family], can be a big thing to them,” he said.
For more information
Visit the Iowa Substance Abuse Information Center at www.drugfreeinfo.org or call 888-242-4111.
Local News
August 3, 2012
Organizers: KC STAAR program has shown positive results
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