Early intervention a key to success

Courier News, Home News Tribune, myCentralJersey.com

By Michael Maddaluna, Michael J. Herrera, Betsy Savage and James Strickhart

Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School (SCVTHS) is proud to join forces with Somerset’s Initiative for Partying Safely (SIPS) in efforts to help inform students about the dangers of underage drinking, binge drinking, and other harmful substance abuse.

Even though the initiative targets individuals ages 18 to 25, SCVTHS believes that early intervention and education are imperative during the high school years. With the proper education and resources, students will be more informed about the decisions they have to make.

SCVTHS’s Linkages Office is a fantastic resource for all students. The Linkages Office offers counseling, referrals, education, and prevention in the areas of health, mental health and substance abuse. With these opportunities in place, SCVTHS can provide students the supports they need.

Prom and graduation are two major events in a high school student’s career that are notorious for underage drinking, binge drinking and the use of other harmful substances. While SCVTHS understands that most of these instances happen away from campus, it is relayed to students the dangers of their actions upon themselves and others in the community.

SCVTHS’s post-secondary division recently collaborated with SIPS in order to identify the problem of underage drinking and the use of harmful substances within Somerset County. The focus group provided a sample population in order to determine the extent of these issues in the 18 to 25 age group.

On April 28, SCVTHS will attend and participate in Somerset’s Initiative for Partying Safely/Healthy Options for Prevention and Education Community Forum at Raritan Valley Community College. This forum will be a great way for our entire community to be exposed to the HOPE and SIPS programs, as well as the problems they are committed to solve.

SCVTHS has and will continue to work closely with Trudy Doyle, Somerset County Superintendent of Schools, to look at enhancing drug and alcohol awareness throughout the school.

With the lessons learned throughout their high school careers, it is hoped that each student will take these lessons and put them to use throughout their lives. With the students’ best interest in mind, SCVTHS will forge ahead with this valuable initiative.

The writers all represent Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools.