Town hall meetings to focus on teen drinking
Underage drinking is the topic of two town hall meetings this month.
Parents, teenagers and community members are invited to participate in discussions of the health effects of drinking on children, as well as strategies for kids, parents and community members who want to address the problem.
“It’s a communitywide issue that needs to be addressed,” said Monique Lawee-Pierson, the executive director of Kootenai Alliance for Children and Families. Her organization is sponsoring the event, along with Idaho Drug Free Youth.
Lawee-Pierson cited these statistics:
• Nearly 18 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds – more than 1 in 6 – have drunk alcohol.
• Almost 20 percent of eighth-graders and more than 40 percent of 10th-graders have been drunk at least once.
• Children who abuse alcohol have a diminished ability to remember things, 10 percent less than children who don’t abuse alcohol.
• Alcohol is the drug of choice for children and adolescents.
The event will be held on April 11 at 7 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene High School auditorium and again April 27 at 6 p.m. in the North Idaho College student union. The speaker list has not yet been finalized.
The event is free of charge and will begin with an ice-cream social 15 minutes before the start times. For more information, call the Kootenai Alliance at 676-8293 or Idaho Drug Free Youth at 664-4339.
Calling all PF alumni
If you’re a longtime Post Falls resident, chances are you probably sat in a classroom in the school building that is now Mullan Trail Elementary.
That facility housed Post Falls High School and Post Falls Middle School at one point as well.
Principal Mandy Surratt is recruiting alumni interested in planning a 50th year celebration for the school, which opened in 1956, after the original high school burned down.
“It is a big deal to celebrate for the community because many people have attended the school at one age or another,” Surratt said.
While she doesn’t have a grandiose commemoration in mind, Surratt said this is an important milestone to mark – even if with just an open house or picnic.
If you’re interested, contact Surratt at 457-0772 or msurratt@sd273.com.
Musical instruments sought at Lake City High
If you have an old instrument lying around, Tim Sandford wants to give you a tax deduction.
The Lake City High School teacher is asking for donations to the instrumental music department. In exchange, donors will get a receipt for their taxes, as well as “the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped a student reach their full musical potential,” Sandford said.
Sandford can be reached at 769-0769.