Ron Ramspott

Whitney Houston did it. So did Ike Turner, Thomas Edison, Robert Louis Stevenson, Hunter S. Thompson and John Belushi. Yes, they all are celebrities, but they also all died earlier than the average healthy person due to drug use.

Students from freshman leadership group Stand Up 9 aim to promote a drug-free environment at West, and want to start up a Drug-Free Club to prevent students from turning to drugs.

“The idea to start up a Drug-Free Club came to us while we were sitting in a circle with the students and teachers from our school, at the Stand Up 9 camp,” freshman Mali Seigel said.

The club has not started up yet, but students hope to receive approval for their idea before the school year ends.

“By putting up huge posters all over the school and recruiting friends, we can work towards the goal of eliminating drugs at West,” freshman Blake Selm said.

Sponsor, Tommie Rowe, says she is glad students are applying what they learned on their retreat to their everyday lives.

“I am so proud and happy that the students want to bring back to West what they did and learned about drugs out at Camp Wyman, Eureka,” Tommie Rowe said.

Rowe also posed the question of whether adults generally see high schoolers in a negative light due to the incidence of drug use. To combat this assertion, The Drug-Free Club is planning a fun-run, which will count as community service for student volunteers with hopes to motivate the student body to work towards a healthy and drug-free school.

“We are going to be hosting a pancake and fun-run on April 11 down on the track to get the community out for a good cause and to get the adults to have a better impression of high schoolers,” Selm said.

Club participants would have to promise to stay drug free 24/7, 365 days a year.

“It is such a great commitment to say ‘I want to be drug free for the rest of my life and I want to stop others from going down the worst possible path they could by choosing drugs.’ I want the best for everyone,” said Freshman Alex Volz.

All students willing to take the challenge are invited to join Drug-Free Club, regardless of grade level.

“Stand Up 9 retreat was exclusively for ninth graders, but the club will be inclusive to all grade levels because we want everybody to be able to live a drug free lifestyle,” said Vaishali Shah.

In addition Parkway students involved in drug and alcohol prevention groups will be honored at the Cardinals game April 29. Tickets will be sold at a discounted price at only $29. Thirteen dollars from each ticket sold will benefir Parkway Safe and Drug Free Programs. See your grade level office for a ticket order form.