Croton-Harmon High School ninth-, 10th- and 11th-graders gathered for a special assembly on April 17.
Through
a partnership between the Croton Community Coalition and Croton-Harmon
Teen Council, a marijuana awareness campaign has been rolling out in
grades eight and higher. One of the partners of the campaign,
motivational speaker and comedian Dr. Matt Bellace, spoke candidly with
students about the dangers of substance use and abuse during the
assembly, encouraging them to seek natural highs.
“In life, you
need to surround yourself with positive support,” Dr. Bellace told
students. “The number one predictor of your behavior is your friends.”
Dr.
Bellace said his brother had friends who used substances, which led him
to make a series of unhealthy decisions throughout his life. He asked
students and Assistant Principal Mark Maxam to discuss their preferred
natural highs and said he believes expressing emotions, harnessing the
power of love and enjoying laughter are three tools to use instead of
substances like marijuana.
Dr. Bellace, along with newspaper
cartoonist Doug Bratton, designed the campaign “weed ≠ salad” using
comic strips that have been distributed to eighth-graders and high
school students in Croton-on-Hudson.“In a fun way, the comic
strip generates the buzz, if you will, and gets the conversation started
between students, parents and teachers,” said Dr. Bellace. “There are
many healthier alternatives to using drugs and alcohol.”
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