GOODRICH SCHOOLS – Most high school seniors know the month of March for one thing – Spring Break. It’s a time to go away from sports, school and family obligations and relax in the sun all day long.
Regardless of how a student wishes to spend the vacation time, Goodrich High School recently hosted an event that let students know it’s OK not to drink, do drugs, have sex, or come home with a tatoo.
Dee Kumpar has been the school nurse for three years. She thought the idea of the project, known as “Fun In The Sun – It’s Your Choice,” was an excellent educational tool for students to carry with them while making choices.
The Thursday, March 6 event featured many activities and 11 keynote speakers, including former Green Bay Packer Blaise Winters.
“Blaise was able to overcome a physical handicap in order to carry his football career on,” Kumpar said. “We thought he would be a good person for the students to listen to because his story is unique.”
Speakers focused on making the right choices, consequences to decisions, drugs, sex, smoking and other issues that teens are faced with.
Kumpar and Kathy Mandar, a representative of the SADD organization, put the idea into action and applied for a minigrant from Prevention Network through the Michigan Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking.
They were awarded $1,000 to conduct the event. Other sources of funding came from the physical education program and United Way.
The Prevention Network is one of many in Michigan that has a primary focus of preventing substance abuse.
“We applied for the grant in December and as soon as we received the money we started planning,” Kumpar said.
The entire high school was active during the project, including students, administrators and even custodians.
Featured activities included miniature golf, a huge inflated slide and surveys for the students to fill out. An afternoon of fun and education was had by all.