vention &
Pre Re
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NCPR S
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National Center for Prevention
Na
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and Research Solutions
On Track
By Scott Steger
The people we meet… He told me that he had been the young man had convinced
a smoker for the majority his father to try again and told
This weekend while attending of his life. He had made him that as a member of his
the Stay on Track culmination unsuccessful attempts to quit crew he would support him,
event at New Smyrna on several occasions. While as he knew his father would
Speedway (GO Florida he felt guilty for his actions support his positive decisions.
Guard!), I had the opportunity (his wife is not a smoker and They both agreed and the
to meet with several parents he felt he was setting a poor father put down his cigarettes.
of participating students. example for his son), he was
unable to kick the addiction. As of Saturday May 30, 2009
One father had a particularly he had not had a cigarette in
moving story that I would like During his participation in Stay 10 weeks, and in his words, “I
to share with you now. on Track, the son continually owe it to the Florida National
pushed his father to quit. He Guard for helping my son
In This Issue brought home the Your Turn
at the Wheel lessons to work
convince me to Stay on
Track.”
with his father and nudged
On Track harder with each lesson. The children truly are our
Beginnings future and with their help it will
Curriculum Corner By the end of Stay on Track, be great!
Student Quotes
Item of the Month
RAD Racing Team
Community Outreach
Stay on Track
Event Calendar
NCPRS Survey
Evaluation Snapshot
Issue 2.6 June 2009
Stay on Track
By Gail Sneed
The Virginia National Guard and Willis Elementary School Celebrated Their
Stay on Track Graduation at Motor Mile Speedway!
SSG Perry, VA NG, called me on January 22nd stating he wanted to do something really special for his
group of Stay on Track students from Willis Elementary School. He and several members of the VA
NG DDR section had provided their support during a Boys and Girls Club Culmination event arranged
by NCPRS at Richmond International Raceway in September 2008. SSG Perry wanted to recreate
the excitement of that event for his group of students at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, VA, and
wanted guidance in making it happen. I immediately called the Speedway and had the opportunity to
speak with Dede Stone. After giving her some background information regarding the Stay on Track
program, I told her about the Boys and Girls Club Culmination event and of our desire for a graduation
ceremony for Willis Elementary School at their track. I was asking a lot, and was prepared to have to
do some convincing, but to my great surprise her immediate response was, “That sounds great!”
Race day was spectacular. The rain,
which had lasted for three days prior
to the event, cleared up just in time
and everything we had planned went
off without a hitch! When the students
arrived they were greeted by Chad
Harris, driver of the #3 car. He spoke
with the kids and provided hero cards
and autographs to the students. Four
FMTV military vehicles, decorated
with Stay on Track/National Guard
“Drug Free Starts with Me” banners,
carried the students onto the track for
their spotlight in the parade lap. The
crowd cheered for the students as they waved in excitement to flashing cameras. Following the lap,
the trucks lined up on the track in front of the crowd and the students followed the Guard personnel to
center stage where the VA NG presented the Colors. The students then sung the National Anthem
and were given a standing ovation by the race fans.
Special guest speaker MAJ Rickey Thomas (National Guard Bureau) attended the event to show
his support and to speak to the students. He congratulated the students on their accomplishment
and reiterated the importance of the lessons learned in the program. School Principal Sandra
Montgomery addressed the crowd as well, enthusing “Stay on Track is one of the best programs to
have been brought to this area.” 1SG Muse, VA NG Drug Demand Reduction Administrator, and Gail
Sneed, NCPRS Program Manager, presented Motor Mile Speedway representative Dede Stone with
a token of appreciation, signed by all of the students, as well as the parents, instructors, National
Guardsmen, and NCPRS, which she humbly accepted as the students retreated to their front row
seats. Immediately following the pre-race activities, the Speedway’s announcer approached one of
the students and granted him the honor of saying the most famous words in NASCAR, “Gentlemen,
2
Issue 2.6 June 2009
Stay on Track (Continued)
start your engines!” The student was so excited he was visibly shaking, and his facial expression was
nothing short of priceless.
Special thanks to everyone that helped make this event a true success! I truly wish that everyone
could have the opportunity to be a part of something this special. The feeling you get knowing you’ve
had even a small part of bringing so much joy to a group of kids; there really is no other feeling quite
like it!
McEwen Middle School Stay on Track Graduation
By SPC Ken Arnold
Students at McEwen Middle School
in McEwen, TN, had a great time
at their Stay on Track graduation.
We celebrated by handing out
certificates of completion and
t-shirts. After the indoor celebration,
we moved to the outdoors for a
great surprise for the students.
In honor of their participation in
the Stay on Track program, I had
requested a helicopter fly in. We
gathered on a hillside behind
the school and had snow cones
provided by the school. While they
were seated I told the students how
much of an honor it was to work
with them and wished them the very
best as they made their transition
to high school. At 1300 hrs, with
all of the students of the school in
attendance for the event, the helicopter flew over the top of the school and banked around the baseball
field. After the landing the students were allowed to tour the helicopter and ask pilot CW2 Hogue
questions, which he was happy to answer. At 1430 hrs it was time for the helicopter to take off and the
students got just as excited about this as they did the landing. I wish to give special thanks to the pilot
for making this event so exciting for the students. The students just kept making the same comment
over and over … COOL!
3
Issue 2.6 June 2009
Curriculum Corner
By Dr. Kevin Lemire
NCPRS Including Student Videos in
the 2009-2010 Curriculum
NCPRS sponsored a contest among local high 2010-2011 curriculum revision. In order for us to use
school Communication Technology students to the videos, they should: focus on anti-drinking, anti-
produce short videos supporting the Stay on Track smoking, or anti-drug use messages, be no longer
(SOT) mission. The 30-60 second videos included than 60 seconds, deliver a meaningful message, and
anti-drinking and anti-drug use messages designed be age appropriate for middle school students. When
to appeal to sixth through eighth grade students. forwarding the videos, ensure you include parental
The videos are being included in the new 2009-2010 release forms for all participants to allow us to publish
SOT curriculum materials and will therefore be seen the material. We look forward to reviewing your
by over 100,000 middle school students across the submissions.
country. NCPRS will collect any videos sent to us
during the next year for possible inclusion in the Click Here to Send us Your Videos for Next Year
Upcoming Events
July
RAD Event Great American Weekend Goshen, NY
4-5
Race Car Day at the Museum July Franklin Institute,
RAD Event
with Bret Guzik 29 Philledelphia, PA
Please tell us how we are doing
and how NCPRS can serve you
D id yo u
better. Click on the following
te link and answer a few short
c o mp le
vey
the su r questions. Thanks for your input!
nt h?
l a st m o
Click Here
4
Issue 2.6 June 2009
RAD Racing Team
By Sharon Clarke
www.guzikracing.com
This article was featured in E-News and submitted to RAD
on behalf of our RAD Spokesperson, Bret Guzik.
For more information, contact Cat Iron Racing at 610-781-8356 or bguzik04@comcast.net
Race Against Drugs Special Request
6-year-old Jack Culbertson, a member of the Montgomery County Quarter Midget Racing Club in
Phoenixville, PA, friend of the Guzik family, and the son of Dan and Becky Culbertson, was diagnosed
with stomach cancer and underwent surgery. Please visit the
site listed below and send a message of encouragement to Jack
and his family. The oncologist believes he has a cancer called
neuroblastoma, so far it has spread from his abdomen to his neck
and they believe it is in his marrow as well.
All of the staff at NCPRS and our Race Against Drugs National
Spokespersons Team would like to wish the Culbertson family
strength during this terrifying time. We will hold Jack up in our
prayers and we respectfully request that our readers do the same.
Please visit: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jackculbertson
-Sharon Clarke
5
Issue 2.6 June 2009
Community Outreach
By Sharon Clarke
The Indianapolis National Guard Showcase
Stay on Track during Armed Forces Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indiana DDRA, CPT Michael Goin, and SSG Michelle Quarles, both Stay on Track instructors, were
celebrated at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 16th and 17th in honor of Armed Forces Day.
Along with a host of community activities, the event included a Counterdrug display outlining the
efforts of the Indiana National Guard. Senator Lugar (http://lugar.senate.gov/), who said he was aware
of the Stay on Track program, stopped by the booth. He took time to shake hands with CPT Goin, and
to look over the materials.
“Overall the display was a success”, reported CPT Goin. “Many adults did not understand or know the
National Guard actually worked with youths in the community in so many ways. They were pleased
to know that the National Guard worked in the community and believed Stay on Track was a great
program.” He received comments from the attendees like, “Keep up the good work” and “We need
programs like this”.
I would like to personally thank General Goodwin, LTC Weikel, CPT Goin, and Richard Lunghuhn,
Director of Marketing at IMS, for working with NCPRS to help broaden the horizon for the Indianapolis
National Guard Stay on Track program. Special thanks to IMS Productions for interviewing CPT Goin
during this very special event and broadcasting the interview on the infield monitors for race fans,
community officials, and military supporters to view. IMS also donated over 2,000 flip books to the
Indiana Guard to distribute to Stay on Track students this year.
For more information on how to work with your community, please contact Sharon Clarke at
sclarke@ncprs.org.
Click Here to See the Interview!
6
Issue 2.6 June 2009
Evaluation Snapshot
By Melissa Rivera and Malena Doty
Current Research: Inhalant Trends among Adolescents
Inhalants are breathable chemical vapors that produce mind altering effects. They are found in
common, everyday household products. These substances are among the most common and deadly
substances being abused by adolescents. In a recent report published by the National Survey on
Drug Use and Health (2009) entitled, Trends in Adolescent Inhalant Use: 2002-2007, studies showed
that 17.2 percent of adolescents who began using illicit drugs within the prior year had indicated that
inhalants were the first drug with which they had experimented. Unfortunately, inhalant use is common
among adolescents because they are easy and inexpensive to obtain1. For this reason, parents
should carefully monitor these substances in their home. Listed below are warning signs of inhalant
use:
• Chemical odors on breath or clothing;
• Paint or other stains on face, hands, or clothes;
• Hidden empty spray paint or solvent containers and/or chemical-soaked rags or clothing;
• Drunk or disoriented appearance;
• Slurred speech;
• Nausea or loss of appetite;
The graph below depicts the students’ percent growth in knowledge of inhalan
• Inattentiveness, lack of coordination, irritability, and depression;
• Missing household items.
to post-program survey.
To combat this issue, students who participated in the Stay on Track program received accurate
Students responded 27 April 2009, 18,192 students in the sixth, seventh, and
information regarding inhalant effects. As of correctly to the fill in the blank statement, “I know that a p
from a 139% growth in their knowledge of inhalant effects. In an effort to reduce
eighth grades experiencedone time use of inhalants.”
illicit drug use among adolescents, the Stay on Track program educates students on the negative
effects of drugs while empowering them to make the right choices.
1
National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Trends in Adolescent Inhalant Use: 2002-2007. 2009. http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/
publications/drugfact/nsduh_inhalant02-07.pdf
Percent
of
Student
Responses
139%
Growth
80
60
64
40
Pre
27
Post
20
0
Time
7
Issue 2.6 June 2009
Beginnings
By Ron Steger
If you think about it, almost everyone has had at least one person who has been instrumental in
their success, either by being a mentor or through financial help. Race Against Drugs (RAD) is no
exception. There were several times when our program was in “personal” debt and was bailed out;
often at the last minute and totally unexpectedly. Once, a company called Hoechst Celanese, who
at the time was co-sponsor of the Amway Indy Car, found out about the program and attended a
RAD/FBI Academy event in Quantico, Virginia. Hoechst Celanese pledged $50,000.00 to RAD and,
along with Amway, assisted in the production of our first public service announcements and posters.
Thanks to Bill Blaising and Dan Beahan at Amway we survived! Also, the Oak Ridge Boys recognized
RAD while recording their rendition of the National Anthem and generously sent a copy of the song to
every race track in the country. Dr. Ruth Sanchez-Way, former Director of the Center for Substance
Abuse Prevention, along with Jo Hutchins, Elaine Perry, and others, contributed to the printing of
materials and workbooks, and a national poster campaign. While serving at the Department of
Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, Jack Nadoll came through with funding, in addition to John
Wilson and Jim Burch, both at OJJDP at the time. Proctor and Gamble, Kmart (through their Kmart
Kids Race Against Drugs program and Linda Maiden), Summit Racing Equipment, GoodYear,
Hoosier, PPG, and Freightliner have all donated money
and professional resources over the years. The list of
contributors is long and includes hundreds of FBI and
DEA agents, local and national racers and sanctioning
organization representatives, team owners and celebrities
that gave of their time to promote this approach to
drug prevention and education. Race Against Drugs
exists today because of the many, many people and
organizations that supported the mission and believed that
public health could be taught using the color, speed, and
excitement of motorsports.
Student Quotes
Idaho
“(What I enjoyed most about participating in the Stay on Track
program) is that they help us when we are confused about what to
tell people asking us to do drugs.“ (male)
Alabama
“It'“s a good thing to see how people are concerned and care
about what their fellow students do behind closed doors. “(female)
8
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