On Track

May 2011
Technology and Youth
As the father of a 15-­‐year-­‐old girl, I have personal experience
with this month’s topic: communication technology and our kids.
Research indicates that we adults have to be careful with the level of connectedness our kids have until they learn how to manage these new technologies.
On
Track
By now you have heard the term “Facebook depression” and hopefully understand its potential for harm. I have often argued that Facebook in particular has a potential for harm that, for me, outweighs its usefulness.
Scott Steger
SOLUTIONS
President
The problem as I see it is not the technology but the way we use it in our lives. Using a phone to text or to update your Facebook status while driving has been found to be so distracting as to be more dangerous than a blood alcohol content that’s twice the legal limit. This act is common among young people and adults alike. Lack of sleep and an inability to concentrate in class have been linked to high stress levels and can both be caused by “not disconnecting.”
The lack of common courtesy relative to technology is also alarming; I actually had a young person take a cell phone call during a job interview.
What can we do? I think we start by displaying the behaviors we wish to see in our kids. •
•
•
•
•
•
Don’t text, email, or surf the web while driving. If you must take or make a call while driving, use a hands-­‐free device. Turn your phone off at night (if possible) and set a time when your kids must disconnect. Several hours before going to bed is ideal. Disconnecting includes the computer and, ideally, the television.
Set clear rules for cell phone use at dinner, when conversing with adults, in public, etc. These should include texting and Facebook.
Keep your kids engaged with the family and make a change to the rules if you feel them slipping away.
Remember that the cell phone, Internet, etc. are a privilege that you grant and can take away when you feel it necessary.
This is a new era that will require some new parenting techniques. Know your kids and their friends; take action when necessary and set clear rules. We will all get through this together.
Until next month…
IN THIS ISSUE...
ON TRACK, 1
RAD RACING TEAM, 5
PREVENTION NEWS, 2
EVALUATION
STUDENT QUOTES, 9
ITEM OF THE MONTH, 9
SNAPSHOT, 8
CALENDAR, 10
STAY ON TRACK, 3
[1]
NCPRS SURVEY, 8
PREVENTION
NEWS
Federal Government Tackles Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has developed a
prescription drug abuse prevention program to fight the fastest growing drug
problem in America1. The program focuses on the following four areas:
• Education: Educate parents, youth, and patients about the dangers of
abusing prescription drugs and how to safely use, store, and
dispose of them.
• Monitoring: Implement prescription drug monitoring programs in
every state and make sure they share data across states and are
used by healthcare providers.
• Disposal: Develop convenient and environmentally
responsible prescription drug disposal programs
to help decrease the supply of unused prescription
drugs in the home.
• Enforcement: Provide law enforcement with
the tools necessary to eliminate improper
prescribing practices and stop
"doctor shoppers" and drug-seeking
behavior.
Dr. Kevin Lemire
Director of Curriculum
Director of Operations
According to the ONDCP:
The latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that over 70 percent of people who abused
prescription pain relievers got them from friends or relatives, while approximately 5 percent got them from a
drug dealer or from the Internet. Further, opiate overdoses, once almost always due to heroin use, are now
increasingly due to abuse of prescription painkillers. In our military illicit drug use increased from 5% to 12%
among active duty service members over a three-year period from 2005 to 2008, primarily attributed to nonmedical use of prescription drugs.
The number of prescriptions filled for opioid pain relievers – some of the most powerful medications
available – has increased dramatically in recent years. From 1997 to 2007, the milligram per person use of
prescription opioids in the U.S. increased from 74 milligrams to 369 milligrams, an increase of 402%. In
addition, in 2000, retail pharmacies dispensed 174 million prescriptions for opioids; by 2009, 257 million
prescriptions were dispensed, an increase of 48%.
A major news station in Florida recently reported that an average of 7 Florida residents die each week
from prescription drug use. In Georgia, 584 lives were lost to prescription drug misuse during 2009. We
all need to work to reduce this carnage; perhaps the ONDCP program will help.
1http://www.ondcp.gov/prescriptiondrugs/index.html
VOL. 4, ISSUE 5
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WWW.NCPRS.ORG
Maryland National Guard and St. Jane Frances Celebrate Their First Stay on Track Graduation
On April 15, 2011, students from St. Jane Frances received CertiZicates of Completion for having successfully Zinished all 12 lessons of Stay on Track. This was their formal graduation at the school. The students that completed the Stay on Track curriculum will also attend a Stay on Track culmination event at Capitol Raceway. Look for more to come regarding their racetrack culmination in an upcoming edition of Solutions.
STAY ON
TRACK
Gail Sneed
Program Manager
VOL. 4, ISSUE 5
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WWW.NCPRS.ORG
STAY ON
TRACK
Gail Sneed
Program Manager
VOL. 4, ISSUE 5
Driving the Message Home
Stay on Track kick-­‐off and culmination events are a great way to reward your students for their effort and enthusiasm, and to demonstrate the importance we place on their futures. While the activities can run the gamut from simple to extravagant, they all serve a vital function in the Stay on Track program — to drive the message home. military representatives
After your extremely successful event, your school and community will be raving about how fantastic your program is, and what a wonderful event they were privileged to attend. Remember to take the time to spotlight your event!
Kick-­‐off/Culmination Activities to consider:
• Articles for the media
• Thank you letters
• Collages
• NG publications
• School publications
• NCPRS Website and Solutions Newsletter
• Stay on Track Facebook
• Military vehicle exhibit
• Helicopter Zly-­‐in
• A formal graduation ceremony, involving parents and the community
• Rock Wall climbing
• Guest speaker(s), such as a racecar driver, local politicians, state politicians, business and community leaders, or local [4]
You can do this through:
Call Gail Sneed at 386-­‐760-­‐2254, or email [email protected] for more information and advice on how to organize your culmination event.
WWW.NCPRS.ORG
Maecenas Quis Dolor
RAD RACER
LANCE MOSS
Sharon Clarke
Program Manager
RAD Racer Lance Moss, United Sprint Car Series and Travelers Rest Speedway On April 16, 2011 Travelers Rest Speedway welcomed and were recognized by USCS driver of the #23 and Pete Walton’s USCS drivers and fans to their awesome long-­‐time RAD Spokesperson, Lance Moss. Winners dirt track for a night of intense racing and family fun. were given framed certiZicates, RAD t-­‐shirts, and Thirty-­‐Zive young fans hurried to turn in their RAD autographed “Fueling a Drug Free Future” stadium Poster Contest entry forms for a chance to win a spot cups to remind them of their special night and how in the 2012 Stay on Track Activity Book! Breanna they contributed to RAD’s mission to inspire others to Holden, Courtney Ramar, and Taylor Dodgens live drug free healthy lives!
submitted winning drawings and drug free messages SPECIAL THANKS...
VISIT
Pete Walton, Lance Moss, Jarrod Holland, Jeff McCall, Bobby Morrow, Amy Holden, Anthony “Dinky” Hembree, Wally Tapp Jr., Brian “Big Dog” Sexton
VOL. 4, ISSUE 5
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
www.trspeedway.info for the season schedule. RAD will be back in October to wrap up the season -­‐ see you there!
[5]
WWW.NCPRS.ORG
More from 16
April
Left to Right:
RAD at the Races
Flyer, Poster
Contest Winners,
Lance...driving
his message home
all the way to
the checkered
flag.
Maecenas Quis Dolor
Sharon Clarke
Program Manager
Breaking Barriers and Reaching New Heights! RAD Spokesperson and Monster Truck Driver Randy Moore Climbs the Steep Embankments of Talladega Speedway to Entertain at Aaron’s Dream Weekend!
It was “Roll Tide, Roll!” for die-­‐hard Alabama fan Randy Moore, who was feeling right at home at Talladega. He was a lot less comfortable, though, driving his Monster Truck, LeM Turn Ally, with embankments at a 33% pitch! The brand new Aaron’s Monster Truck WOWed fans and the newly installed guest passenger seat was enjoyed by a few lucky fans!
VOL. 4, ISSUE 5
Randy, a 20-­‐year veteran of the Race Against Drugs program, has been advocaTng for children all over the country to follow his lead, and never give up! A clear head, good support, and being drug free and healthy are three vital keys to Randy’s successful 30-­‐year racing career.
[6]
WWW.NCPRS.ORG
Maecenas Quis Dolor
OFC.TRAVIS COOK, DAYTONA BEACH SHORES PD, AND WIFE, JENNI COOK
Sharon Clarke
Program Manager
Cook Racing for a Great Cause STll Finds Opportunity
to Support RAD’s Mission
Officer Travis Cook, Daytona Beach Shores Police Officer, and husband of Jenni Cook, Program Assistant at NCPRS, sports the RAD Racing Team logo while supporTng the Tour de Force police charity bicycle ride. Both Jenni and Travis have jobs that are geared toward creaTng a safer community, and they sTll find Tme outside of work to make a difference in the lives of others.
Department to the Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety Department. All proceeds go directly to the surviving family members of Florida law enforcement officers lost in the line duty.
The Tour de Force police charity bicycle ride was established in 1997. The Tour is a 280 mile, five-­‐day bicycle ride from the North Miami Beach Police To learn more, visit: hap://floridatourdeforce.org/
index.html
Travis, we congratulate you and thank you for your support of RAD while racing for a great cause! RAD Spokespersons Dawson Guzik, Bret Guzik, and Zoe Mattis
Team Up to Host RAD at the Races Wednesday, May 11, 2011 this team of dedicated RAD spokespersons will be at the Montgomery County Quarter Midget Racing Club in Phoenixville, PA. RAD Racers Bret Guzik, Dawson Guzik, and Zoe Mattis will be participating as guest personalities and displaying their race vehicles and judging the RAD Poster Contest for the next three spots in the 2012 Stay on Track Activity Book!
VOL. 4, ISSUE 5
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WWW.NCPRS.ORG
EVALUATION
SNAPSHOT
Melissa Rivera
In Your Community
Families, school personnel, community leaders, and others are inZluential individuals that can empower our nation’s youth for success. We want to recognize the impacts you provide youth daily. To capture the successes you are making, beginning next month, the Evaluation Snapshot is being revamped to highlight Stay on Track accomplishments in your community. In order to accomplish this, we need your help. We want to hear any feel good stories you have seen or experienced. We want to know what impacts you are making in the lives of your students and their families, or even the positive experiences you have seen in your school as a result of Stay on Track.
What will it look like?
Each month, a different state will be featured. You, your school, and your students will receive national recognition for all you are accomplishing in your community. Prevention begins with an individual who decides to use their inZluence to make a difference. Assisting even one child to make the decision to refuse illicit substances because of your inspiration and encouragement is an enormous achievement. Please use this as an opportunity to pat yourself on the back because you deserve it! We look forward to hearing from you.
Please provide your stories to [email protected].
Malena Doty
Tell Us How We
Are Doing!
Click here to take the NCPRS
customer feedback survey.
VOL. 4, ISSUE 5
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WWW.NCPRS.ORG
STUDENT QUOTES
6th grade female, CT "The part that I enjoyed most about the Stay On Track program was learning about the harmful effects of alcohol, cigareaes, and other drugs, so that I won’t make the wrong decisions. I would recommend the Stay on Track program to maybe hang up a ton of posters about the bad use of drugs, as a way to spread the word about drugs."
6th grade male, MI "What I enjoyed most was when we talked about marijuana, and the harmful effects, because I can now help people that I know stop doing it."
Item of
the
Month...
Please visit the NCPRS Gear Page to order yours today!
RAD Racing
Team
Tattoos
During the month of May, our RAD Tattoos (10-piece
pack) are on sale!
Great incentive item!
Only .50 plus shipping
(Regular price $1.00)
Click here to order!
http://stores.ncprsgear.org/-strse-24/RAD-Tattoo-
VOL. 4, ISSUE 5
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WWW.NCPRS.ORG
CALENDAR
May 2011
VOL. 4, ISSUE 5
Date
Event
Location
Type
30 May
Memorial Day
NCPRS
Offices Closed
Nationwide
Holiday
SPR National
Meeting
Washington, DC
Conference
31 May – 3 June
RAD Racers On the Track!
11 May
Bret Guzik
Dawson Guzik
Zoe Mattis
13 May
Tyler Reddick
Montgomery
County
Quarter
Midget Racing
Club
Phoenixville, PA
RAD at the Races
34 Raceway West Burlington, IA
Race Event
14 May
Amanda Ferguson
Auburndale
Speedway
Auburndale, FL
Race Event
14 May
Tyler Reddick
LaSalle Speedway
LaSalle, IL
Race Event
20 May
Kenny Johnson
Skyline Speedway
Stewart, OH
Race Event
27 May
Amanda Ferguson
Orlando
Speed world
Bithlo, FL
Race Event
2 June
TJ Zizzo
Race Talk RaceTalkRadio.com
Radio Interview
[10]
Radio Event
WWW.NCPRS.ORG