For the seventeenth consecutive year, a representative from FCD (Freedom from Chemical Dependency) will be visiting Rowland Hall’s Middle and Upper Schools. FCD is a non-profit organization based in Needham, Massachusetts that provides alcohol, tobacco, and other drug information to schools and colleges in the United States and abroad. FCD’s mission is to:
- Provide up-to-date information on the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs.
- Empower young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding alcohol and other drugs.
- Encourage and support the non-use of alcohol and other drugs during adolescence.
- Teach students and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of chemical dependency and to intervene appropriately.
This year, the intensive five-day course offered by FCD will run from December 7 – 11, 2009. During this time, our FCD representative, Tim Ryan, will meet with all freshmen students on four consecutive days and will hold separate assemblies designed to meet the needs of our sophomore, junior, and senior students. Tim will also spend a full day meeting with small groups of 8th grade students in the Middle School.
Parental involvement is crucial to the school’s efforts to reduce the risks teenagers face today. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of the parent resources found on the FCD.org website. The FCD visit also presents the perfect opportunity for you to discuss drug-related issues with your teenagers.
Rowland Hall’s health classes have also recently begun using the Parents Empowered program to educate our families about the dangers of underage drinking and to provide them with tools to prevent teen alcohol abuse. In their own words, “ParentsEmpowered.org is a media and education campaign funded by the Utah Legislature and designed to prevent and reduce underage drinking in Utah by providing parents and guardians with information about the harmful effects of alcohol on the developing teen brain, along with proven skills for preventing underage alcohol use.” For more information on Parents Empowered, refer to their website at ParentsEmpowered.org.
If you have any questions regarding the FCD program or Parents Empowered, please feel free to contact Diane Guido at the Upper School or Amanda Wissler at the Middle School.