Your child’s transition from elementary school to junior high is a critical time, especially when it comes to drug use. The likelihood that kids will try drugs increases dramatically in the first year of junior high, where they will be exposed to older kids who have experimented with or are regular users of drugs. Your child may think these kids are cool and be tempted to try drugs to fit in. One of the most widely used drugs that kids begin experimenting with in junior high is inhalants, ordinary household products that are inhaled or sniffed to get high. A recent study showed that 20 percent of sixth graders had tried inhalants. Perhaps even more concerning, another study revealed that fewer students believe that sniffing or “huffing” can have fatal consequences. Inhaling such items can cause serious brain damage, as well as damage to the heart, kidney, brain, liver, bone marrow and other organs. Junior high is also prime time for kids to begin experimenting with tobacco and alcohol. Although, in recent years, substance abuse experts have been reporting children as young as the fourth grade trying their first drink. According to Joseph Califano, founder of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, children’s attitudes toward alcohol shifts dramatically. Where once they thought drinking alcohol was wrong, the presence of older children can be very influential. And as prescription drug use begins to rise at alarming rates, this pattern can hold true for such drugs as OxyContin, Ritalin and Adderall,among others.

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For many parents, addressing the issue of drugs with their elementary school age child may seem too early. However, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, one of the keys to preventing childhood drug use is addressing the topic during a child’s elementary school years. Research shows that the earlier a child starts to use alcohol and/or drugs, the greater his or her chances are of becoming a substance abuser. Studies also show that programs aimed at keeping kids off drugs are most effective when started in this age group. The U.S. Department of Education suggests that for children in kindergarten through third grade, prevention efforts should focus on good health practices; differences between foods, poisons, medicines and drugs; and rules regarding drug use. For children in fourth through sixth grades, prevention efforts should teach how to identify different drugs; the effects of drugs; what addiction is; why some substances are dangerous; and peer, media, family and community influences on substance abuse. Parents of elementary school-age children should take notice of new behaviors such as crushing candies that resemble pills (like Smarties), sniffing school items such as permanent markers and correction fluid, or inhaling household products like antibacterial lotion and dryer sheets. These types of behaviors may be an indication that your child has seen this done at school or in the media. The earlier a child starts to use alcohol and/or drugs, the greater his or her chances are of becoming a substance abuser.

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FACEBOOK
‘FRENEMIES’//
Victim of social media attack still questions why In the spring of 2010, a group of Pinnacle High School students created a group on Facebook about junior Aubrey Stecher*. She discovered it a week after its creation and found it filled with cruel comments that insulted her physical appearance and made violent threats against her.“I found out about the group because my supposed ‘best friend’ told me about it and acted as if she had nothing to do with it,” Stecher says. Stecher told the vice principal because the group was still on the site days later. Once notified of the situation, he and Stecher immediately called her parents and, because threats were made, the police. Shortly after, the school administration questioned several students to find out where the page originated.“To this day, I have no clue why the group was created. I question it a lot and wonder about it. Looking back, the kids who were involved must have been very insecure to have done something like that,” Stecher says. Stecher thinks that the best thing to do in a situation like hers is to tell a trusted adult. She advises other victims to be strong and use kindness to diffuse the situation rather than escalating it by fighting back. – Hailee Pallas

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The most recognized form of bullying in elementary school is physical violence—such as hitting, punching, pushing or taking another student’s belongings. However, as prevalent as physical violence is, verbal bullying is more common and can be even more damaging as its physical counterpart. Verbal bullying comes in many forms, including taunting, threatening or making fun of a student’s gender, religion, appearance, socioeconomic status or mannerisms. This type of bullying tends to spread quickly among students, who “follow” without thinking of the harm or consequences of what they’re doing. Verbal bullying can also lead to social alienation, which happens when a student is excluded from the group or rest of the class and made to feel inferior or different from everyone else. The bully’s unspoken message is that for others to avoid becoming his/her next target, the bystander should ignore their conscience and join in the isolate-the-victim game. According to recent studies, elementary school bullying is most commonly perpetrated by boys, who look for opportunities to take part in physical bullying when teachers and adults aren’t present or paying close enough attention, such as on the playground, in bathrooms, or in crowded hallways. They’re also most likely to pick on younger children. Bullying that occurs among girls deals mostly with social exclusion. Girls gang up against a victim as way of exerting control. Verbal bullying can also lead to social alienation, which happens when a student is excluded from the group or rest of the class and made to feel inferior or different from everyone else.

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Synthetic Evolution‘Designer’ drugs quickly becoming the new norm for high school students.
Story // Preslie Hirsch and Sarah Dinell

An epidemic permeating high schools is sweeping the nation:synthetic drug use. Made chemically, synthetic drugs include Spice, K2, methamphetamine, amphetamine, Ecstasy, LSD, synthetic marijuana, synthetic cocaine, synthetic heroin and most prescription drugs. These types of drugs are growing in popularity because—unlike natural substances like marijuana, cocaine and heroin—the production of synthetic drugs isn’t limited to various agricultural and geographical regions.

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Are We
There Yet? Story // Michelle Jacoby
In the fast-paced world of cell phones, laptops and iPods, finding family time can be a challenge. The family dinner hour has turned into gobbling up sandwiches on the way to soccer practice or heating up frozen meals late into the evening. Fortunately, a road trip is where a burned-out family can benefit. The car makes a great place for family conversation: everyone’s seated, confined to a small area and leaving the room, well,
isn’t an option. It’s the ideal time and place to talk about the topics and issues that will help your children navigate their world. According to Robyn Warner, an expert in specialized behavioral health treatment programs for adolescents, open and honest communication is essential for “surviving and thriving” during the adolescent and teen years. She offers these tips for improving communication with your child:

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Cyberbullying: A Victim Tells His Story //by Alex Clearwater

Final Exam is dedicated to teens whom have gone through a real experience related to issues facing teens today. Through these true stories we hope to inspire awareness to parents and children, but also to use as a communication opener.

When kids started calling Jacob of Chandler “stupid,” “fat” and“ugly,” he didn’t respond to them. “I never answered the bullying. I just walked by and kept my head held high because I figured that the less reaction they got out of me,the more they would leave me alone,” he says.To those around him, Jacob appeared unaffected by the name-calling, but inside, he was deeply bruised.“I reacted to the name calling in a negative way:

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Meals that matter:The Magic of Mealtime.

Let’s face it, being a parent isn’t easy. Most days, just getting your family all together at the same time can seem like mission impossible. Between after school sports, study groups, work and errands, it’s not surprising that many parents say they feel a growing distance between themselves and their children. So how, in the midst of all this chaos, do you find time to talk to your kids and more importantly, have them talk back to you? The answer is easy: Dinnertime. It’s true: While the simple act of eating dinner together can bring families closer together, studies have shown it can also help in preventing drug abuse and achieving better grades. Here are a few simple tips that will give you more than your fill at dinnertime:

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Social
Media The New Virtual Bathroom Wall
by// Alyssa Coughenour and Cattarina Lovins

Judgment. Anonymity. Cruelty. These three words define cyberbullying as Pinnacle High School (PHS) students perceive it today. The virtualworld of blogs, text messages, e-mails and social networking has opened the door to a new generation of cyberbullying. What was once ridicule in the physical world through slam books and wedgies, has transformed into pixilated letters on an LCD screen.The issue reaches not only PHS students, or even just high school students, but children, teenagers and adults from every region of the world. Ranging from catty gossip to malicious insults, cyber bullying
occurs constantly. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a teen devotes an average of at least 95 minutes each day to texting, while Facebook reports that users spend 7 billion minutes on the site
each month.

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