Principal’s Opening Comments for the Parent Workshop on Drug and Alcohol Education
January 22, 2013
Good evening and thank you for taking time out of your schedule on this
chilly night to join us here at this Parent Workshop on Drug and Alcohol
Education. Thank you, also, to those of you who may have emailed
questions to us in preparation for tonight’s workshop. Those questions
will be addressed later this evening. I would like to open with a prayer
that I feel is appropriate for an evening such as this where our focus as
an institution is caring for our students – your sons – as we, parents and
Prep faculty and staff, work together in partnership to assist them during
these extremely formative years. Let us keep in mind your sons who
continue to prepare for their exams. This prayer is attributed to Pedro
Arrupe, S.J. who served as the Superior General of the Society of Jesus
from 1961-1984. “Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is,
than falling in love in a quite absolute final way. What you are in love
with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide
what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your
weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and
what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love and it
will decide everything.”
Cura personalis – the care of the individual person - the care of our
students - is the true reason why I decided to become the principal of the
Prep. I have always been proud of the Prep as student, teacher and
administrator because I have always seen us as counter cultural with a
sensible awareness of both our own student culture and the external
adolescent culture. I am mindful that our students are not exempt from
some negative outside influences, however, any way I can guide and
direct our students into making better choices while supporting and
encouraging them I will. I believe it is within our mission of forming
these young boys to become men for and with others that we can create
policy to assist our students with good decision-making. I care about our
boys – your sons – and if there is an opportunity to help your sons and
Principal’s Opening Comments for the Parent Workshop on Drug and Alcohol Education
January 22, 2013
you as parents better understand the challenges of a drug culture through
a caring and educational means than I believe this is what we should do.
Our Drug and Alcohol Policy and random drug testing is one way we
can assist you and your sons to counter the outside influences of peer
pressure while assisting some other students who are actually dealing
with drug and alcohol issues and who need our professional and
educational help without the concerns of punishment. This is a highly
supportive student policy whereby our counselors and administrators
will work within the strictest of confidentiality to ensure a student’s total
privacy. The random testing policy has an educational approach and will
not be punitive.
The random selection will be generated by the company, Psychemedics.
The Prep will send student ID numbers to Psychemedics – a listing
which will not include student names to ensure privacy and random
selection. Student records of positive tests and follow up records will be
held by the Counseling Department Chairperson. The Counseling
Department practice is to retain documents for a period no longer than 2
years after graduation and these records never become a part of the
student’s official file.
As Admission Director and now as Principal I have often addressed
perspective parents about their sons’ formative high school years and
how grateful I am that parents would entrust their sons to us. Parents
have expressed the very same – or similar feelings. I believe that we
embark on a partnership with you, our parents, when you arrive at the
Prep and we owe it to you to assist you as you raise these young men. I
assure you that your sons are our number one priority and that we will
do everything possible to ensure the safety and well-being of your sons.
I assure you we will care for your sons and help them in their decision
making. I speak often about the grad at grad and the holistic education
Principal’s Opening Comments for the Parent Workshop on Drug and Alcohol Education
January 22, 2013
that we provide so that during these formative years and upon graduation
they will experience opportunities of growth, religious education in our
Roman Catholic tradition, ways to become better loving human beings,
intellectually competent and committed to doing justice.
I have spoken with many students over the past semester about the Drug
and Alcohol Policy and random testing. The general sense of the
students is positive and in favor of the testing – although there are
inevitably students who are opposed. One senior student thanked me that
we instituted a Drug and Alcohol policy with a random testing
component which he believes will assist some of his friends who he is
concerned about. He encouraged me to do what I could to reinstate the
policy. He cares about his Prep “brothers” and feels this policy was
helpful to many students at the start of the year. A junior was glad that
this policy helped him with pressures from some of his classmates to
partake in drug use. Some students who are opposed to the random
testing shared that they were concerned about their rights but after I
spoke at great length of my personal and our institutional care and
concern for their well-being they began to better understand. They did
admit they were happy to know the testing policy was not to get them in
trouble with punishments but was set up to assist with some potential
problems. Some students do not see current actions leading to future
abuse but were happy to hear we are tying in more educational
programming through the Counseling Department such as inviting
former NBA player and speaker, Chris Herren, to speak to our student
body.
I am grateful to serve with and for you. I believe this is a mission driven
action. I would not be here if I did not want what is best for our students
and our institution. I believe that is why you are here tonight as well. I
Principal’s Opening Comments for the Parent Workshop on Drug and Alcohol Education
January 22, 2013
will do what I can to ensure that this policy is in line with our mission
and serves our students with dignity, respect and compassion.