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"Contest emphasizes dangers of meth" By PAULA BARR\Daily Journal Staff Writer Farmington private and public school children in grades 5-8 are invited to participate in a poster contest to emphasize the dangers of methamphetamine and its effects on the family, environment or the human body. Posters must be turned in to a school official by Friday. The Students Against Methamphetamine (S.A.M.) contest is open to students in Farmington Middle School, Lincoln Intermediate Center, St. Joe or St. Paul schools. The poster board must be 18 inches by 24 inches in size and must include the S.A.M. character. A digital S.A.M. character and information about methamphetamine are available on the S.A.M. Web site ( http://www.stpaulgiants.com/sam.htm ). Entries will be evaluated for neat work, a clear message, vibrant colors, emphasis of important works, and use of as much space as possible. Two winners will be selected for each grade level. Creator of the best poster from all grade levels will win a free S.A.M. T-shirt and a $50 cash prize. That poster will be featured on the International CyberFair Web site entry. Feb. 20, 2007 "Students take proactive stand against meth" Eighth graders work Web site for year-long project By PAULA BARR\Daily Journal Staff Writer Paula Barr / Daily Journal Eighth-grade students at St. Paul Lutheran School interview State Rep. Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, for their CyberFair project. Eighth graders at St. Paul Lutheran School in Farmington are doing their part to prevent drug abuse through education and to help keep peers drug-free. The students are working on a year-long project - called Students Against Methamphetamine (S.A.M.) - on methamphetamine as part of this year's International Schools CyberFair competition. The school's eighth-grade computer class won a Gold Award for its community leaders project in 2005 and last year's eighth-grade class won a silver award for its project on special populations. This year's entry features a Web site on methamphetamine that includes a Power Point presentation and videotaped interviews with various area officials. The students also are including other classes by holding a poster contest for grades 5-8 in Farmington schools. The contest runs until Friday. Two winners will be chosen per grade level. (See side bar for rules.) During a recent interview with State Rep. Steven Tilley, the students discussed drug legislation, legal consequences of drug abuse and crime and punishment that frequently accompanies drug addiction. Tilley told the class that in addition to tough laws, the country needs to improve its border protection. "We need to do a better job of securing the borders, not just for illegal aliens, but to reduce criminal activity," Tilley said. "Our goal should be to eliminate drug use." Student Kohl Kellmans said they chose methamphetamine as their topic at the beginning of the school year because they wanted to do something about the problem. "We knew it was an epidemic in Missouri that needs to be stopped," he explained. The students told Tilley some of what they have learned about the use of methamphetamine. "You stink when you use it!" "You can smell it, even from outside. It's nasty!" "I was in a house a long time after they stopped making meth and cleaned it up. I could still smell it." Tilley told a story about one of his classmates who died in a car accident after an evening of drinking. "It's not just meth. It's not just marijuana. It's also alcohol," he told the class. "It's all the things you need to say 'no' to. "I think what you guys are doing is great!" Tilley thanked the class for including him in their project. Later, he added, it's really great to hear questions from kids, because you get a totally different perspective. Kids are still forming their opinions. Sometimes adults have their minds made up and they're not willing to be open-minded" The interview was the third thus far for this year's entry. The students also have interviewed Farmington Police Detective Tim Porter and Corporal Sam Weekly. The Web site ( http://www.stpaulgiants.com/sam.htm )is still being developed. Currently it offers Power Point presentations that provide statistics on methamphetamine usage, photos of users that depict the degenerative effects on the body, and signs of methamphetamine use. The presentations discuss the effect of methamphetamine on families and the environment, and list the ingredients used to make the illegal drug. One section points out the harm drug users and drug cookers do to their children, and discusses treatment for methamphetamine addiction. The Web site includes a video about the program and the poster contest. Earlier in the year, the class held a contest to design a S.A.M. character for their project. The character will be featured on posters and other parts of the project. Teacher Leanna Johnson said the students are not only learning about methamphetamine, they are learning to speak out in the fight to end its usage. After learning about restrictions on some cold medicines that can be used to make methamphetamine, one student shared her knowledge with a gas store clerk, Johnson said. "She saw a couple in a car with a young child. First, the man went in and bought some pseudoephedrine," Johnson said the student told her. "A few minutes after he came out, the women went in and bought another package of pseudoephedrine" The student went into the gas station and asked the clerk if he realized what had just happened. Because the couple split up, they could buy more medicine than they could have had they went inside together. She also pointed out that there had been a child in the car who would be endangered if the couple were meth cookers or dealers, Johnson added. Although the eighth graders are doing most of the work for the CyberFair project, participation from students in other classes and schools is fundamental to their success, Johnson said. "We really appreciate the collaboration with the other schools," she explained. "That's one of the most important parts of this outreach - the fact that everyone is working together and working proactively to prevent meth use before it becomes a problem with their age group." Feb 20, 2007 - 10:04:48 CST "School announces winners of poster contest" By PAULA BARR\Daily Journal Staff Writer Eighth graders at St. Paul Lutheran School in Farmington hope the Ides of March will mean for methamphetamine use what it meant for Julius Caesar. Caesar's enemies killed him on March 15 to eliminate his reign. St. Paul students hope their International Schools CyberFair competition Web site ends the potential power of methamphetamine over those who don't realize its dangers. The students have been working all year on their project, called Students Against Methamphetamine (S.A.M.). This week, they are finalizing their Web site entry ( www.stpaulgiants.com/sam ) by downloading the remaining research, interviews, online survey and results of their community effort. The project must be submitted by March 15. The eighth graders also have announced the winners of their recent poster contest, which is part of the community outreach portion of the CyberFair project. Farmington Middle School seventh grader Sonya Hahn was the grand prize winner and received a S.A.M. T-shirt and a $50 check. The other winners were as follows (all are from St. Paul unless noted otherwise): Fifth grade - Rebekah Sutherland, Abigail Heberlie (St. Joseph); sixth grade - Alex Berghaus, Cheyenne Shields; seventh grade - Stevi Short, Gabe Wilson (Farmington Middle School); and eighth grade - Gabby Schultz (Farmington Middle School). The Web site includes Power Point presentations that provide statistics on methamphetamine usage, photos of users that depict the degenerative effects on the body, and signs of methamphetamine use. The presentations discuss the effect of methamphetamine on families and the environment, and list the ingredients used to make the illegal drug. One section points out the harm drug users and drug cookers do to their children, and discusses treatment for methamphetamine addiction. Mar 09, 2007 - 10:49:27 CST |