Sticking it to underage drinking
JEFFERSON TWP — High school students are not normally found in beer distribution stores, but Beer Nation was crowded with them on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
The students didn’t try to purchase any beer, but once they left, hundreds of cases of beer were plastered with stickers that say “stop underage drinking,” and information on some of the consequences for people who disobey that message.
This is the effort of about a dozen students at Knoch Intermediate Elementary and Knoch High schools, who, on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 28, traveled to Beer Nation and Countryside Beer Distributor to help them discourage underage drinking and providing alcohol to minors.
Claire Patterson, a ninth-grade student at Knoch High School, has been in the group that helped organize the effort since she was in sixth grade. She said the Knoch Area Youth Coalition aims to prevent substance use in minors by sharing information about the negative effects of use, and she wants to be part of that prevention.
“I thought it would be good to do something to help our community and, help the student community,” Claire said. “Even if this can influence people a little bit, then I think it’s definitely worth it.”
Although the coalition has been around for nearly five years now, it recently received a grant from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which is what funded the group’s hundreds of stickers for the effort.
Kaitlynn Tempalski, health educator for the Keystone Wellness Program and an adult coordinator of the coalition, said Project Sticker Shock was a unique idea the students had to help prevent underage drinking in their area.
“It is very much a youth-led prevention effort to remind adults about the consequences about underage drinking,” Tempalski said. “One of our goals of the coalition is to reduce youth substance use and so this very much plays into that.”
Project Sticker Shock was the result of months of planning by the students in the Knoch Area Youth Coalition.
Tempalski said the stickers themselves were designed by a graphic artist who created their eye-catching look to get the attention of people browsing beer.
Tempalski added the sticker placement at local beer distributors was planned to take place around Halloween, which is when students might attend parties where alcohol is present and available.
“We are focused around Halloween and we will probably do it around prom season too,” Tempalski said of Project Sticker Shock.
The Knoch Area Youth Coalition involves students from sixth grade and up, who meet regularly to discuss ways they can educate their peers. Some students in the coalition even attended a training in Nashville, Tenn., the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Mid-Year Training, to learn effective strategies for preventing substance misuse while building strong, healthy communities.
Talon Smith, an 11th-grade student at Knoch High School, said being part of a group with this mission has already seemed more effective than attempting to discourage his peers from drinking on his own. He said other students take him and his colleagues in the group a little more seriously.
“I think people can respect it if it's an actual cause rather than just (talking about it),” Talon said.
The sticker project was also attended by Harry Callithen, chief deputy of the Butler County Sheriff’s office, who said the county collaborates with schools on this type of initiative in an effort to keep youths safe.
“It reinforces healthy decisions and healthy choices,” Callithen said, “trying to instill the same principles in a peer-to-peer group.”
Tempalski said the grant from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board may fund more programs by the coalition. Talon said these programs are important in just keeping a consistent message out for students to hear.
“Especially as teenagers get older — going from middle school to high school — get introduced to new substances, drugs, alcohol, and trying to stop that at the source,” Talon said.
In addition to Tempalski, Callithen and the students, a social worker with Knoch School District and its director of special services also attended the sticker placement at Beer Nation and Countryside Beer Distributor. Greg Hajek, director of special services at Knoch School District, said administrators at the district are united in spreading an anti-drinking message to students.
“Our counselors, our social workers, we all pretty much send the same message about using coping skills and other skills and not use substances,” Hajek said.
And while the stickers placed on the cases of beer were just that — stickers — Hajek said he hoped that their presence was enough to remind people coming to the stores that they should not condone or aid people looking to drink before they are 21 years old.
“If one kid gets a message, it’s worth it,” Hajek said. “If one person sees and can say no, it’s worth it.”
Claire agreed and said although the coalition may not eradicate underage drinking by students at her school, spreading awareness is still important. She said her peers at the high school mostly agree the coalition is a beneficial organization and she is happy to be part of the solution.
“They honestly think it is a good thing,” Claire said. “People always say it’s good, but then don’t do anything. They don’t join. They don’t help. Which honestly isn’t that big of a deal, but it’s just nice to be knowing that you are doing something instead of just talking about it.”
