| HOSA
students put together impressive program
Three underclassmen HOSA students at Prairie High School put together a program where they had several speakers share their stories of what drugs and/or alcohol did to their lives. They also had a respiratory therapist from St. Mary’s Hospital share information on what vaping and smoking can do to you. Sophomore Olivia Klapprich and freshmen Chole Rowland and Holli Schumacher put this program together and lined up the speakers. The program was presented on Thursday, Dec. 19 to all the junior high and high school students at Prairie. Helping to sponsor the program were Helen Rowland of Cottonwood Vet Service, Cottonwood Livestock Auction, Klapprich Ag & Auto and City Electric. One of the speakers was raped by her prom date and his threats to her family led to her drinking and eventually to pills and then meth. Drinking every weekend turned into drinking every day. And it wasn’t just 1 or 2 drinks, she would drink to get really drunk because it would dull the pain. She wound up getting into meth because it dulled the pain much quicker than the booze ever did. She is just now getting her life back together, 27 years later. She has been clean for the past 8 months and her message is to seek help, even if you’re scared of what might happen. She realized later that her rapist was probably at least as afraid of what she could do to him, if not more so, as she was of his threats. Another woman shared her story of riding home with her fiancé and his friend, who was driving but probably shouldn’t have been and of their wreck that killed her fiancé. She said she knew the friend shouldn’t have been driving but she was a party girl at the time that had ridden lots of times with drunk drivers and figured it was no big deal. Her message was to call somebody. She would even get out of bed to come get you to keep from having someone’s parents told that their child has died. Even if she doesn’t know you. She has her own physical issues from that accident in addition to the heartbreak of losing her fiancé. Two inmates from NICI shared their stories of how alcohol, then progressively more potent drugs wound up putting them where they were. One of them stated he always had boundaries. He wouldn’t be “that guy” who would do meth, heroin, etc. But then he wound up being “that guy.” He would go through rehab, which would last a few months and then be right back where he was. He was incarcerated at NICI in February and will be clean for a year when he gets out this coming February. He is still scared though that he could go right back to the drugs if the situation arises. The respiratory therapist shared a video of high school students who got hooked by vaping talking about how it has taken control of their lives. The newest e-cigarettes have a more potent dose of nicotine than regular cigarettes and with all the sweet flavors they come in are attractive to young people who get can addicted much easier than adults as their brains are still developing. If their message reaches even one fellow student and prevents them from going down the road any of the presenters did, it would have to be considered a successful program. 
6th grader Brehanna Fowler performed a flute solo of “Amazing Grace” at the Elementary Concert. |
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