Answering parents' MySpace questions

Experts advise readers on cyberspying, older 'friends' and banning site
By Jasmin Aline Persch

While some parents are creating their own MySpace pages to keep up with their kids, many don't understand the social-networking site and its allure for adolescents.

Stories such as today's "Mom indicted in MySpace suicide case" and others that tie the site to sexual predators, cyberbullying and teen suicide can make this unfamiliar youth hangout all the more frightening for parents. Fortunately, psychologists say, most children don’t encounter trouble on social-networking sites. Many kids, they say, have beneficial experiences on MySpace, which can actually help children through the awkward stage that is adolescence.

That’s what I reported in a recent story, “MySpace can help bring shy kids out of their shells.” Being socially challenged can make an adolescent feel even more alien, but finding accepting pals can come easier online. Virtual relationships, in turn, can boost kids’ confidence and social lives, making life a little bit better in the real world.

The story generated about 70 e-mails from readers, ranging from parents who don’t sweat MySpace to those who swear it off. But I mainly heard from parents who are unsure about how to handle MySpace with their kids. Should they cybersnoop on their children? Should they forbid older “friends”? Should they ban MySpace altogether?

I took their questions to three experts for parental guidance. Larry D. Rosen, a psychology professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills, recently authored a parenting book, "Me, MySpace and I," on the topic. Laurence Steinberg, a psychology professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, wrote "You and Your Adolescent." C.J. Pascoe, a sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley, researches how new media has become central to teen life.

The key, they say, to successfully parenting a MySpacer seems to involve striking a balance. Parents should talk to their children about safety, and also check their children's profile while sitting with them at the computer. But they should also grant young adults the freedom needed to develop into individuals.

Experts warn that taking MySpace away just makes the site all the more seductive for today's tech-savvy kids, who will find a workaround. Also, cyberspying driven by fear of MySpace, rather than a child's bad behavior, can break the trust between a parent and child and create a rift in their relationship.

Here's what the experts said to some of the questions that were submitted:

Forbid older ‘friends’?
“My older teens, I allowed them to go online and use their real photographs because back then it seemed like not that many people were online, so it didn’t matter. With my younger teens, I set up new rules. They could go online, but no real names ever, no photos, no older 'friends,' etc. I don't check and I hope it's OK, but my little one already met an older friend age 23; she's 13 and we are dealing with that. So obviously, it's not working.” — Susan, Fla.

Rosen: At this point, it’s time for a family meeting. I bet one of the things this mother hasn’t done is told the kid: "I have complete access to what you're doing. I can walk by the computer and ask what you're doing. If I discover you are showing me only part of what you are doing, here are the consequences." Consequences should start out small and build. They should be spelled out. The way you set consequences is by what’s really important to this person. Obviously the important thing to this person is being online: Lose half an hour, lose two hours. Also, where is the computer? It’s not a right to have a computer in the kid's room; it’s a privilege.

Pascoe: I would say, "I need to meet this person before you meet them offline." Unless you’ve seen a problem arise already, setting a rule of you can’t talk to a person of X age won't help if the child hasn't done anything wrong yet. Nothing bad might come of a virtual relationship. I see kids on role-playing sites or Harry Potter sites having inter-generational, productive friendships.

How to keep real-life friends?
"What if your child likes his MySpace, or in my kid's case, YouTube, persona so much better that he lets go of past friends at school? He has shrunk his life down to just YouTube because it's easier. How can this be healthy?" — Susin C., Framingham, MA

Rosen: Adolescent development requires real-life contact.That’s tough if the kid has given up all his offline friends. It seems like his behavior has reached the stage of an addiction. That’s really important for the parent to understand, why is my kid doing this? When MySpace use becomes addictive, you have to apply different rules. You can’t make somebody go cold turkey just like you can’t take cigarettes away from a nicotine addict. Addicts want to be rewarded with what they’re addicted to. Practicing the addiction in a public place tends to reduce the behavior. Much of addictive behaviors are done behind closed doors. It’s addictive because it’s done privately and exciting. And in public, it loses its allure.

Steinberg: It’s not as healthy for your social network to be an electronic one than a real one. But for a kid who doesn’t have any friends at all, YouTube offers some social contact rather than none. If your child doesn’t have any friends in the world other than those he met on the Internet, I would try to figure out why that is. Research says is that it's important for kids to have at least one good friend. If your child has one good friend in the real world and spends a lot of time on the Internet, I wouldn’t be concerned. One close friend is more important than being popular for mental health.

Cybersnoop on children?
"I am on [my daughter's] friends' list so I can read her bulletins, I also monitor who she's talking to and find out what is happening in her world. Sometimes this is the only way of knowing about what's going on with her because she is more likely to share with her friends and publish to the world than share with her parents. Is this normal? I just don't want to rely on MySpace to learn about what she is doing and problems she is facing. When should I step in and get her to talk to me instead — or should I?" — Anonymous

Steinberg: During early adolescence, it is perfectly normal for kids to want privacy as part of the process of growing up. That’s why they start closing their bedroom doors. Privacy is important because your child is struggling to develop an identity that is separate from you. Parents who don’t allow privacy, their kids are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. So a parent needs to find the right balance of being involved and being intrusive.

Pascoe: Kids do need their privacy, but they have to earn it. Spying on them without their knowledge is not the way to do it. It’s in general a bad idea. It’s not going to bring you closer. The trust and conversations have to start offline. You have to actually listen to your child.

Grant kids some privacy?
"I have a 12-year-old daughter who logs on daily. I asked her for her password, and she said she didn't want to give it to me. She is basically a very trustworthy, good girl, so I decided to respect her privacy. I told her she needed to be prepared for random audits, where I would have her log in, and I would check her comments, messages, and some of her friends' profiles. So far I have performed three or four audits. She has been very willing to log in whenever I ask, and I've never found anything questionable. Should I be concerned that she doesn't want to give me her password, or this just a normal desire for some privacy?" — Anonymous

Rosen: Developmentally, younger kids are not ready to handle a variety of issues they could encounter on MySpace. The brain of a kid is different than that of an older adolescent. The part of the brain that is primarily for making decisions and multitasking doesn’t completely develop until the late teens or early 20s. Being on MySpace, kids are always making decisions. A small amount of MySpacers are approached sexually or experience cyberbullying. All the research shows, when faced with somebody coming onto them, 95 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds do handle it well. But when something does happen, the younger the kid, the less adept they are at handling it. You have to do more monitoring and pro-active parenting than with older kids.

Pascoe: The password thing is such a hard one. Different rules may be appropriate for different ages. It might be more appropriate to watch a 12-year-old. If she proves herself responsible, she doesn’t have to share her password anymore. You can’t get their password and just go on without their knowledge. You have to have a conversation as a family. You have to promise not to rat out their friends to their friends' parents. Your child can’t get in trouble for what their friends say. That’s really humiliating for a child to be the kid whose parents ratted out everybody.

Friends with bad online behavior?
"My daughter has friends on her MySpace that have some inappropriate stuff on their own pages. I did request her to remove one of them. Just about all of her friend's pages are fine. Should I tell her to remove the ones I don't approve of, or should I just talk to her about what is inappropriate?" — Erin Sweet, R.I.

Pascoe: The mom shouldn’t have her daughter remove her friend. That can cause a huge amount of embarrassment for someone. You can’t hold your child responsible for what their friends do. Talk to them about why that content might be inappropriate, why she might be doing that and why your daughter is making good decisions for not doing that.

Rosen: If you tell your kid to remove a friend, they’ll find a way to get that friend back. Talk to your kid about what worries you. You might find out that your kid is just as appalled. Maybe your kid is getting something positive from that kid. I applaud this mother for considering the option of talking to her child. Ninety-nine percent of parents would just consider the first choice. If parents remove friends from their kid's MySpace, kids will add them on Facebook. You can’t stop kids technologically, but you can parentally.

Balance school and MySpace?
"My son has been failing in school and I think it's because he's been spending too much time on MySpace. I've tried taking away his computer, but he still manages to get online! How can I prevent him from being distracted from his schoolwork?" — Julie, New York City

Rosen: Using the computer should be contingent on his homework being done. If he completes an hour of homework, he gets X amount of time on the computer. If he’s getting on the computer anyway, it’s incumbent on the parent that he can only get on through the parent’s access code. This is a tough one, because kids sneak around. You need to make sure he understands if you find out he gets on, he’s going to lose some of that time. Kids are trying to tell us something, MySpace is really important to me. Parents who just yank stuff away, kids are going to hate them. Time on the computer has to be monitored and with a clock. The computer has to be shut down; if not, here are consequences. Don’t make the consequences yourself. Negotiate. Let them win a little.

Steinberg: Put time limits on it. The same way you would respond to TV, video games or butterfly collecting. School is the most important thing for kids at that age. Parents are not powerless to how kids spend their time. It’s more effective to agree to a certain hours a day. You have to get your homework done first;. you have to maintain good grades.

Ban MySpace?
“My son has not once, but on two different occasions, not only met his girlfriend online but has also traveled to see them. The first one was OK. About three months ago, he met this girl that stood for everything he had been taught to stand against. He is 18 so I was limited in what I could do. He bought a bus ticket and traveled to Florida to meet her. Bottom line, he almost went to jail three times in one day because of her. He is now about to come home and my first instinct is to cut all ties to MySpace completely. Do I just take it away from the 18-year-old? I'm not convinced he has learned a lesson from this just yet, so I don't think I can trust him.” — Anonymous, Baton Rouge, La.

Rosen: First of all, do not take Internet access away. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter if they’re 18 or 14. He’ll find a way to get on at a friend's house, a public place, an Internet café. The appropriate thing to do with an 18-year-old who could do whatever he wants is tell him: “You are living in my home, you are living by my rules.” There are different consequences for an 18-year-old than a 14-year-old. It depends on what kind of control you have. If the 18 year old is paying rent, the consequences have to do with money. “I’m going to charge you $500 to stay here, if I see you're doing X, Y and Z, I’ll raise or lower it $100.” Rewarding them for the kind of behavior you want is more likely to work. Couple that with punishment; the two work better than the parts. Create a behavioral contract in writing, a list of how behaviors are rewarded and punished.

Pascoe: The son's problems are pre-existing. Parents can’t fix problems by blaming the Internet. I don’t think forbidding kids from using the technology will, either. She can forbid him from using MySpace, but that’s not going to stop him from seeking out trouble. The son has poor decision-making skills. MySpace allows another arena from which to make poor decisions. They need to get at the heart of the problem.

© 2008 MSNBC Interactive
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24507454/
MSN Privacy . Legal© 2008 MSNBC.com

Moms key to daughters' healthy body image

• Story Highlights
• Advocacy group: As many as 10 million Americans have eating disorders
  
• 90 percent of anorexia nervosa and bulimia are female
  
• Expert: Moms' negative talk about own bodies can hurt daughters' body image
  

By Judy Fortin
CNN Medical Correspondent

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Maggie O'Connor minces garlic for a Mexican lasagna while across the kitchen Melissa Thornton chops basil for a turkey wrap.

These aren't professional chefs. They're 10- and 11-year-old girls getting a lesson in cooking and healthy eating. They're also learning how to have a positive image of their bodies.

"I think you need to balance things," said Thornton, a fourth-grader from Atlanta, Georgia.

Not only is her mother peeking over Melissa's shoulder as she works, but so is clinical psychologist Dina Zeckhausen, founder of the Eating Disorders Information Network.

She gathered eight moms and their daughters on a recent Sunday afternoon at The Cook's Warehouse in Atlanta.

Zeckhausen's goal is to help the mothers be effective role models, especially when it comes to eating.

"These are just ordinary moms," Zeckhausen said. "A lot of ordinary moms these days have struggled with their own body image. They want to raise healthy daughters. They don't want to pass their own anxieties down to their girls."

The National Eating Disorders Association notes there has been unprecedented growth of eating disorders in the past two decades.

The group estimates up to 10 million Americans suffer from the condition. Ninety percent of those who battle anorexia and bulimia are female.

Zeckhausen urged the moms gathered in the kitchen to eliminate what she called "negative body talk." Health Minute: More on moms and body image »

"It's important that you don't put yourself down in front of your daughter," explained Zeckhausen. "She has an adult woman's body in her future and she's looking to you in terms of how to feel about that body. She's taking notes whether you know it or not."

Vicki Bratton knows that firsthand. She attended the class with her 8-year-old. "I realized so many things come out of my mouth that I don't expect. Everything we say, their ears are hearing and they are processing it."

Bratton said she was surprised she needed to start worrying about her daughter being at risk for eating disorders at such a young age.

"I hear stories of first-graders who are already afraid of eating cookies because they think they are bad," Zeckhausen said. "I heard of a 5-year-old who wouldn't put on her winter coat because she was afraid it made her look fat."

Zeckhausen put part of the blame on the media and pop culture. "Our daughters are comparing their bodies on the outside to what the girls look like on the Disney Channel and in the magazines. We want to help our daughters base their body image more on what their bodies do for them and how they feel, rather than how they look."

Zeckhausen urged the girls to resist peer pressure, particularly in the lunchroom where she noted some kids push away healthy food in favor of crackers and ice chips.

"If your stomach is hungry and the girl next to you is not eating, what should you listen to?" asked Zeckhausen. "We want to teach the girls to listen to their own bodies."

Kelly O'Connor stood behind Maggie as she chopped the rest of the garlic. As the mother of 8- and 10-year-old girls, she conceded, "I'm already trying to teach them about the dangers of being afraid to eat and making sure when they're hungry it's OK to eat and when they're not hungry just say 'no thank you.' "

That's just what Zeckhausen wants to hear.

"One cooking class may not make a difference, but if we are teaching moms a way of thinking about food and bodies which will help them negotiate what their daughters are going through ... then we are doing something really important."

All AboutEating Disorders

Senioritis: An Open Letter

Dear Parents and Seniors,

Yes, the end of the year is near. Very near. In fact, I only have the opportunity to see you in our hallowed halls for 19 more days. While this fact makes me quite sad, I am certain that you do not feel the same. Indeed, seniors, you are excited and anxious and counting down the days (I see the signs posted in our halls). Parents, you are excited and anxious and counting down the days. While I see similar emotions and actions from both of you, I do not think they are being caused for the same reasons. Thus, I wish to address this open letter to you about "senioritis."

I have addressed this topic in the past. I hear about it daily from students and parents and faculty and staff. Do I feel it is important? Yes. Do I think it is real? Well, that depends.

Yes, seniors, you have spent almost 13 years working diligently towards the completion of your guaranteed education. I applaud you for your tenacity and dedication, and am so proud f all of you. But is this really the end of your education? Does a magical switch move to the off position on May 23?

Parents, I know you have worked very, very hard to get to this point, as well. The support and time and love and nurturing you provide is more important that anything I can do for your students. You have built the foundation for their futures; I have only had the pleasure to help decorate or mend a fence here and there. And I am grateful that you have granted me the permission to help you in this process.

This is just the beginning of your learning. I know you hear this over and over again, but I feel the need to say it again - this was the easy part. In school, you have the wonderful support of so many people and access to so many resources. In the "real world," this is not always the case. Many of you will continue your formal education and not see a change in this pattern. Some of you will see a difference when you enter another educational facility. And others who choose to directly enter the workforce may experience both scenarios.

What I wish for all of you is that you learned how to learn. This is the constant in all of our futures. Many times it will not seem as concrete and forward and directed as what you have experienced at Perry. Learning takes so many forms - you may not even know it is occurring. Once you leave our halls, the responsibility for learning shifts completely to you, students.

Thus, senioritis. Yes, the "end" of your education at Perry is near. But it is not over. And many, many seniors are acting as if it is. I implore all of you to consider your thought process. Your final grades and final exams will figure into your credits and grade point averages and, in many case, will impact whether or not you earn your diploma. And the reasoning I hear daily is, "Oh, I have senioritis."

To return to an earlier question, do I think senioritis is real? Well, that depends. It is very real to those of you who are experiencing a sudden decline in your performance, and who will use the word to support your action (or inaction, as it may be). Is it a diagnosis that can be given by a medical or mental health professional? No. Is it something that I will mention in conversations? Yes. Is it an excuse that I will, well, excuse? No.

Parents and seniors, please do not fall into this habit. As your many signs attest, we only share 19 more days of academics. Do not let your habits risk your diploma.

If you need assistance, please see your counselor. We can help. Or talk to a teacher or administrator. We have all witnessed how the end of the senior year seems to change our students' motivation. We have resources that can help. I do not want this process to become a habit that will be difficult to break in the future.

Again, I am so proud of all of you, and I am excited to shake your hand as you walk across the stage on June 1.

Wishing you the very best,
Mrs. Hoyt

Web resources:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1191831,00.html
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/02/03/loc_senioritis_can_cheat.html
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/the-application/8626.html

TIME CHANGE - Academic Awards

The Academic Awards Night on May 27, 2008 has been changed... to an Academic Awards Breakfast! Due to very poor attendance for the evening event, we have moved the time to during the school day. Breakfast will be served to all award recipients at 8:00 AM. The Awards presentation will begin at 8:45AM. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend. A notification letter will be mailed home regarding your qualification for this event.

Report Cards

Report Cards for the fifth grading period will be distributed Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Please contact the Guidance Office with any questions.

National Honor Society Induction

The National Honor Society Induction ceremony is tomorrow, April 9. Good luck to all applicants, and congratulations to all inductees!

21st-birthday booze ritual gains popularity

Survey: Drinking 21 shots is more common than previously thought

By Tara Parker-Pope

The New York Times

updated 8:49 a.m. ET, Tues., April. 8, 2008

The ritual of drinking 21 or more alcoholic beverages to celebrate the 21st birthday appears to be far more common than expected, according to new research.

Jesse Drews died in March on his 21st birthday after a drinking binge. It's estimated that more than four out of every five American 21-year-olds drink alcohol to celebrate the birthday milestone, which is the the legal drinking age in the United States. But a new study from University of Missouri researchers of 2,518 students shows that many young adults aren't just drinking to celebrate — they are drinking to extremes.

Among those students who drank alcohol to celebrate their 21st birthdays, 34 percent of the men and 24 percent of the women reported consuming 21 or more drinks, according to the research to be published in The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. The report is believed to be the largest study of the drinking ritual, which often involves shots of alcohol. The students in the study were followed for four years and asked a variety of questions about their drinking behavior over the course of their time in college. Although the findings likely can't be applied to the general population, the data likely do reflect the drinking culture at large, public universities, say researchers.

Based on the data, researchers estimated that half of the men and more than a third of the women who drank on their birthdays experienced blood alcohol levels of 0.26 or higher, the level at which a person is severely impaired and at risk for choking on vomit or suffering serious injury. While researchers say it's possible some students overstated how much they actually drank, the consistency of the answers suggests that students are consuming large quantities of alcohol when they celebrate a 21st birthday.

"I think a lot of people view this as a feel-good rite of passage and don't calibrate what a big risk it is,'' said Kenneth Sher, professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the study's lead author.

Alcohol researchers have been searching for ways to curb the extreme drinking common on the 21st birthday. One concern is that interest in the ritual appears to be spreading because drinkers who attempt or succeed at downing 21 drinks post videos and photos of the drinking binges on YouTube or Flickr or social networking sites like MySpace.

One of the biggest worries about the ritual is alcohol poisoning. The body's ability to metabolize alcohol depends on several factors, including gender, weight, the type of alcohol, whether the person vomits during the binge and the time period during which the alcohol is consumed. But in some cases, as few as 10 drinks can push blood alcohol levels to 0.30, the point at which the respiratory system slows enough that death is possible.

That appears to be what happened to Jesse Drews, a 21-year-old Fox Lake, Wis., resident who died on March 24, his 21st birthday. Although the death is still under investigation, it's believed he may have attempted to drink 21 shots to celebrate at a Waupun, Wis., tavern. A friend who brought him home said he had "10 or 12 shots,'' although his parents have since been told different stories about how much alcohol was consumed.

What is known is that his family found him unresponsive at 4 a.m., and a hospital test showed a blood alcohol level of 0.38, according to his family and the Dodge County Sheriff's Office. Waupun police chief Dale Heeringa said he couldn't comment on the details of the investigation until the medical examiner's report is finished. He said Mr. Drews did not finish 21 shots, although he did consume "a significant amount of alcohol.''

Jesse's mother, Jody Drews, said her son had been reluctant to go out that night but relented after friends persuaded him. He returned home around 1:15 a.m. and went to bed, and Mrs. Drews checked on him throughout the night, including around 3:30 a.m., when she heard him snoring and returned to bed.

"I never in a million years thought we would be in this situation,'' Mrs. Drews said. "Kids have to know about this risk. I hope anybody who goes into a bar and sees this happening will say something.''

Clayton Neighbors, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors in Seattle, is studying Internet-based interventions he hopes will convince more young people to moderate their drinking on their 21st birthdays. In one study of 316 students, to be presented at the American Psychological Association conference this year, those who were given Web-based information about drinking prior to their 21st birthday drank less than students who didn't receive the information.

Students in the intervention group were asked how much they planned to drink on their 21st birthday and how common they believed extreme drinking really is. The interactive tool then showed them that only a minority of students drink 21 or more drinks. It also calculated a student's blood alcohol level based on the amount he or she planned to drink. Giving students extra information about drinking appeared to result in blood alcohol levels that were about 25 percent lower than the group that wasn't given the information, he said.

"One of the problems is a lot of these kids don't realize that 21 drinks in an hour can kill you,'' Dr. Neighbors said.

One group, Be Responsible About Drinking (B.R.A.D.), was started by family and friends of Michigan State University student Bradley McCue, who died from extreme drinking on his 21st birthday. The group sends out birthday cards prior to the 21st birthday warning people about the dangers of alcohol poisoning. The site also includes numerous charts showing how various numbers of drinks affect blood alcohol levels. For a more detailed look at the 21st birthday drinking binge, see an earlier story by my colleague Kate Zernike.

Tara Parker-Pope writes about health for the New York Times "Well" blog.

Copyright © 2008 The New York Times

URL: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24004376/

PSEO Meeting Rescheduled Again

Due to yet another snow day... the PSEO Information meeting has been rescheduled for WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2008 at 6:30 PM in the PHS Cafeteria.

What Stresses Out Pre-teens?

Totally Stressed Out

Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer

Parents sometimes view stress as the sole domain of grown-ups, because we associate it with money worries, balancing families and work, and the ups and downs of married life. We might wonder, what do kids have to be stressed about? The truth is, a lot. Childhood stress is very common, especially today.

Your tween's world is full of demands and expectations that can trigger stress. There are the competitive pressures to do well in school; the societal pressures to have the "right" possessions; the peer pressure to fit in and perhaps take uncomfortable risks; and the social pressure to be part of a gang, to avoid being bullied, to look good, and to act older, in terms of independence or sexual awareness, than he may truly feel.

An apparently small thing in any of these areas can easily tip a child from coping into despair. Because children of this age are still learning to give words to feelings, they still tend to communicate distress initially through their behavior. Here are some signs to watch for. Notice whether your child:

• wants to see friends less and spend more time alone
• becomes more dependent or clingy
• loses his appetite or snubs favorite foods
• gets down on himself, especially about his looks or ability
• tries to avoid going to school, using odd excuses or claiming strange pains
• becomes more attention-seeking

How to Help
Children suffering from stress need lots of support. These actions will help you comfort your tween and help her deal:

Understand your child's feelings and be tolerant of tears. Children have child-size problems and exaggerated fears. It's unfair to dismiss a reaction as an overreaction just because you know the "crisis" will soon blow over.

Be reassuring about the future. "I can see how hard this is for you, but I'll bet Rob has forgotten about it already." "I know you and your friends will sort this out."

Keep familiar routines going to provide stability. For example, keep up school attendance, but ask the teacher to be sensitive to any untoward behavior.

Encourage talk, but don't force anything. Always give permission to refuse. "I wondered if you might be ready to talk about this. Is now a good time?" is a gentle opener to gain trust and attention. Recounting your childhood problems could encourage a wary child to open up. Boys may prefer to talk while busy with something else, rather than face to face.

Take the pressure off elsewhere. If there are problems at home, forget the grades or big friendship upsets, and sideline tidiness.

From Parent & Child magazine

PSEO Meeting Rescheduled

Due to yesterday's snow day, the PSEO meeting has been rescheduled for WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2008 at 6:30 PM in the CAFETERIA. We hope to see you there!

Officials: Ecstasy is back, and it's laced with meth

From Kevin Bohn and Kelli Arena
CNN

ALBANY, New York (CNN) -- Nick, 16, says ecstasy is rampant in his high school, with kids often mixing the drug with meth and other substances.

More than half of all ecstasy seized in the United States last year was laced with meth, authorities say.

"You just have to know the right person. It's about as easy as any other drug. You just gotta ask for it," says Nick, who asked that his last name not be used. "It's easy to get."

Law enforcement officials say stories like these highlight a disturbing trend they're seeing across the country. Most alarming, they say, is not only is ecstasy back after years of decline, but most of the time it's laced with meth.

More than 55 percent of the ecstasy samples seized in the United States last year contained meth, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, compared with 44.5 percent the previous year. And the drugs are coming in at rapid pace from Canada. Watch ecstasy's pipeline into U.S. »

Almost 5.5 million pills of ecstasy were seized in the states bordering Canada in 2006 (the most recent year for which full statistics are available) -- an almost tenfold increase since 2003, top drug enforcement officials say.

"They drive them in. They bring them in by boat. They bring them in by plane. They bring them across by people just carrying them across their back much like the southwest border," says Ed Duffy, an assistant special agent in charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration's northern region.

Because meth is less expensive than ecstasy, mixing the two saves producers money, but it also makes it more dangerous, officials say.

Ecstasy can cause sharp increases in body temperature and can result in liver, kidney or heart damage. When laced with meth, officials say, the combination can cause more severe harm because meth can damage brain functions, as well as lead to an increase in breathing, irregular heartbeats and increased blood pressure. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says meth -- or methamphetamine -- is a "very addictive stimulant drug."

Law enforcement officials say European countries cracked down on ecstasy production in the early 2000s and manufacturing moved to Canada. And now, Asian gangs in Canada have been smuggling the chemicals needed to make ecstasy from China and India, officials with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police tell CNN.

Finished pills are then pushed in vast quantities into the United States, a flow that's difficult to stop because of the vast, largely unpoliced border, officials say.

Those on the front lines in Canada and the United States say they are working closely and sharing intelligence to try to stem the flow. Canadian officials also say they have a good relationship with Chinese law enforcement.

The Mounties have created teams across Canada focused on identifying the criminal organizations producing ecstasy and meth and say they have shut down 17 labs in the past year.

"The labs that we're finding now are what you refer to in the United States as super labs. We call them economic-based labs," says Raf Souccar, assistant commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Each lab produces more than 10 pounds of ecstasy in one batch, he says. "It's not your mom and pop operation. It tells me that it is criminal organizations that are, yes, more sophisticated and producing it for profit as opposed to producing it to fuel their habit."

It's then finding its way into schools, like Nick's in Albany, New York.

"I have been seeing an increase in pill use among the teens in general," says Greg Reid, a counselor at Equinox Community Services Agency, which sponsors drug counseling and other activities for youth in Albany.

"They do something called 'pharming' where they throw a bunch of pills into a bowl and kind of choose or take out the pills they want."

Ecstasy pills are often among the drugs of choice in the bowl.

"I have seen that increase in the past two years," Reid says. "Ecstasy ... can be very dangerous, especially if you don't know what it is getting mixed with."

National Endowment for the Arts Announces New Reading Study

Follow-up to Reading at Risk links declines in reading with poorer academic and social outcomes

November 19, 2007

		Contact: Sally Gifford 202-682-5606 giffords@arts.gov

Washington, DC -- Today, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announces the release of To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence, a new and comprehensive analysis of reading patterns in the United States. To Read or Not To Read gathers statistics from more than 40 studies on the reading habits and skills of children, teenagers, and adults. The compendium reveals recent declines in voluntary reading and test scores alike, exposing trends that have severe consequences for American society.

"The new NEA study is the first to bring together reliable, nationally representative data, including everything the federal government knows about reading," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "This study shows the startling declines, in how much and how well Americans read, that are adversely affecting this country's culture, economy, and civic life as well as our children's educational achievement."

To Read or Not To Read expands the investigation of the NEA's landmark 2004 report, Reading at Risk. While that report focused mainly on literary reading trends, To Read or Not To Read looks at all varieties of reading, including fiction and nonfiction genres in various formats such as books, magazines, newspapers, and online reading. Whereas the earlier report assessed reading among adults age 18 and older, To Read or Not To Read analyzes reading trends for youth and adults, and readers of various education levels. To Read or Not To Read is unique for its consideration of reading habits alongside other behaviors and related outcomes including academic achievement, employment, and community involvement.

Among the key findings:

Americans are reading less - teens and young adults read less often and for shorter amounts of time compared with other age groups and with Americans of previous years.

• Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers, a 14 percent decline from 20 years earlier. Among 17-year-olds, the percentage of non-readers doubled over a 20-year period, from nine percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2004.¹
• On average, Americans ages 15 to 24 spend almost two hours a day watching TV, and only seven minutes of their daily leisure time on reading.²

Americans are reading less well – reading scores continue to worsen, especially among teenagers and young males. By contrast, the average reading score of 9-year-olds has improved.

• Reading scores for 12th-grade readers fell significantly from 1992 to 2005, with the sharpest declines among lower-level readers.³
• 2005 reading scores for male 12th-graders are 13 points lower than for female 12th-graders, and that gender gap has widened since 1992.⁴
• Reading scores for American adults of almost all education levels have deteriorated, notably among the best-educated groups. From 1992 to 2003, the percentage of adults with graduate school experience who were rated proficient in prose reading dropped by 10 points, a 20 percent rate of decline.⁵

The declines in reading have civic, social, and economic implications – Advanced readers accrue personal, professional, and social advantages. Deficient readers run higher risks of failure in all three areas.

• Nearly two-thirds of employers ranked reading comprehension "very important" for high school graduates. Yet 38 percent consider most high school graduates deficient in this basic skill.⁶
• American 15-year-olds ranked fifteenth in average reading scores for 31 industrialized nations, behind Poland, Korea, France, and Canada, among others.⁷
• Literary readers are more likely than non-readers to engage in positive civic and individual activities – such as volunteering, attending sports or cultural events, and exercising.⁸

"This report shows striking statistical links between reading, advanced reading skills, and other individual and social benefits," said Sunil Iyengar, NEA Director of Research and Analysis. "To Read or Not to Read compels us to consider more carefully how we spend our time, since those choices affect us individually and collectively."

While no single government agency or entity can solve the problem of declining reading rates, the NEA national reading program, the Big Read, is one response to these findings. The Big Read is designed to restore reading to the center of American culture by providing citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities. In 2007, nearly 200 communities nationwide are participating in the Big Read, reading one of 12 classic American novels such as Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. The NEA presents the Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. For more information, visit www.neabigread.org.

To Read or Not To Read assembled data on reading trends from more than 40 sources, including federal agencies, universities, foundations, and associations. Primary sources include the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the University of Indiana, Bloomington, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

NEA Office of Research and Analysis
The NEA Research Division issues periodic research reports and briefs on significant topics affecting artists and arts organizations. To Read or Not to Read is available in print and electronic form in the Publications section of the NEA website, www.arts.gov.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

_____________________

1. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
2. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey (2006)
3. U.S. Department of Education, NCES, The Nation's Report Card: Reading 2005
4. U.S. Department of Education, NCES, The Nation's Report Card: Reading 2005
5. U.S Department of Education, NCES, National Assessment of Adult Literacy (2007)
6. The Conference Board, Are They Really Ready to Work? (2006)
7. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Learning for Tomorrow’s World: First Results from PISA 2003
8. National Endowment for the Arts, The Arts and Civic Engagement: Involved in Arts, Involved in Life (2006)

http://www.nea.gov/news/news07/TRNR.html

Registration for 2008-09 courses is open

Attention classes of 2009 - 2012:

Registration for next year's courses is now open. You must register by Feb. 20, 2008. You must turn in a printed copy of your course request that is sign by you AND your parent/guardian.

For more information, please log in to your Infinite Campus account or go to the high school web page for details.

If you have any questions regarding which courses to take, your current accumulated credits, and/or the registration process, please contact your guidance counselor or one of the building principals.

A Dangerous Transition: High School to the First Year of College

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Increases in young women's drinking during the transition from high school through the first year of college can have dangerous physical, sexual and psychological implications, according to a report out of the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions.

The good news is that during the first year of college, when many young women increase their drinking, the majority (78 percent) of the 870 incoming freshmen women who participated in the study did not experience any victimization. The bad news, however, is that among the 22 percent of women who were victimized, 13 percent experienced severe physical victimization and 38 percent experienced severe sexual victimization.

The research results were published in the January 2008 issue of the prestigious Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

"This is the first study that we know of that has compared risk for physical and sexual assault among college women based on changes in drinking during this transition period," said Kathleen A. Parks, Ph.D., principal investigator on the study. "Clearly, abstaining from drinking is a protective measure. However, young college women should be aware that becoming a new drinker or increasing one's drinking during this transition increases the likelihood of victimization."

The study showed that among women who drank alcohol during the first year of college, rates of physical and sexual victimization were substantially higher compared to women who did not drink. In addition, the odds of first-year college sexual victimization significantly increased with each pre-college psychological symptom (i.e., anxiety, depression) and each pre-college sexual partner a woman reported.

Interestingly, researchers found that the changes in drinking patterns during the high-school-to-college transition influenced risk for physical and sexual victimization in different ways.

About one fourth (27 percent) of the women reported that they abstained from drinking in the year prior to entering college. During the first year of college, only 12 percent continued to be abstainers. Among these abstainers, less than two percent reported physical victimization and seven percent reported sexual victimization.

Compare this with drinkers, seven percent of whom reported physical victimization and 19 percent, sexual victimization.

Being a new drinker during the first year of college (15 percent of the women) increased the likelihood of physical, but not sexual, victimization. The researchers speculated that new drinkers' social and physical inexperience or lack of tolerance for alcohol and its effects may increase women's impairment when drinking and subsequently, their vulnerability to potential perpetrators or dangerous situations. Perhaps, the physically disinhibiting effects of alcohol for new drinkers may cause them to be more reactive, possibly verbally aggressive, or more likely to call attention to themselves, thereby putting themselves at risk for physical aggression in social drinking situations.

Continuing drinkers were defined as those who drank the year prior to college and during the first year of college. Of these women, more than half (57 percent) increased their drinking during the first year at college. They drank considerably more than new drinkers on multiple measures of alcohol consumption, including heavy episodic drinking -- four or more drinks per occasion -- and were at greater risk for sexual victimization.

Of the continuing drinkers, 26 percent reported decreasing their drinking and 16 percent reported not changing their level of weekly drinking.

These findings suggest that a later onset of drinking may be protective against patterns of heavy episodic drinking and some of the associated negative consequences.

"Young women who had a history of physical victimization and greater psychological symptoms, and who began drinking during the first year at college had an increased likelihood of experiencing physical victimization," explained Parks. "Women who had a greater number of psychological symptoms, more sexual partners and increased their weekly drinking had an increased likelihood of experiencing sexual victimization during the first year of college."

Parks is a senior research scientist at RIA and a behavioral psychologist with extensive experience studying women's substance use, misuse, and victimization. The other research team members included Ann M. Romosz, project director, Clara M. Bradizza, Ph.D., senior research scientist at RIA and research assistant professor of psychiatry in UB's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Ya-Ping Hsieh, Ph.D., data manager and analyst for the study.

Incidents of sexual victimization were predicted by different factors than incidents of physical victimization. According to Parks, "The significant predictors of sexual victimization were psychological symptoms during the first year at college, number of consensual sexual partners and increased drinking. Women who have more consensual sexual partners are more likely to encounter a sexually aggressive individual and are more likely to experience sexual victimization. At the same time, women who increased their drinking are more likely to be behaviorally and cognitively impaired and less likely to recognize, avoid or defend against sexual aggression. "

Women who increased their drinking experienced nearly five negative alcohol-related problems during the first year at college. Those problems included a variety of consequences such as inability to do homework or study for a test, passing out or fainting suddenly, engaging in consensual sexual activity that was regretted afterward, physical assault, sexual assault, theft or robbery.

Parks encourages development of prevention programs that emphasize the risks of drinking and heavy drinking in social situations for women. Women with a history of drinking before entering college are at greatest risk for escalating their drinking and experiencing more negative consequences and sexual assault.

The study was funded by a $1.8 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The Research Institute on Addictions has been a national leader in the study of addictions since 1970 and a research center of the University at Buffalo since 1999.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.

http://www.buffalo.edu/news/9136

College admission decisions

Do not fret if you still have not heard from a college regarding your application. Here's what you should do:

1. Confirm the date that everything was mailed by your guidance counselor.
2. Call the school to confirm that your file is complete. If it is not, ask to see if they have completed opening mail. Many schools are still opening mail from late December. See this Washington Post article for details.
3. a. If your file is complete, ask for an estimated date for a decision. Do not pressure them, do not discuss other answers you have received. Then the waiting continues...
3. b. If your file in incomplete and they have opened all of their mail, contact your counselor to resend the missing pieces.

Remember - all colleges have different policies regarding notifying students of admission. Some do so on a rolling basis, some have a set mail date (e.g. April 1). Do your research on your individual schools so you are aware.

Report Cards

3rd grading period report cards were sent home with students on Wednesday, January 23. If you did not see a copy, please contact the Guidance Office and we will send one home.

You are able to access student grades online at any time. Go to the district web site to find out more information.

Millions of youths use cold meds to get high

Number who abused OTC medications similar to LSD use, officials say MSNBC News Services
updated 9:07 p.m. ET, Wed., Jan. 9, 2008

WASHINGTON - About 3.1 million people between the ages of 12 to 25 — or about 5 percent of the age group — have used over-the-counter cough and cold medicine to get high, a U.S. government survey found.

In large doses, cough syrups and cold pills can be used to induce hallucinations, “out-of-body” experiences or other effects, officials said.

This type of abuse has been known for years, but the 2006 survey, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA, sets out the best numbers to date quantifying the problem, officials said.

In recent years, the Drug Enforcement Administration has cited the rising popularity of cough syrup cocktails — prescription codeine-laced cold medicine mixed with soda or sports drinks. With names like "Syrup," "Purple Drank" and "Lean," these concoctions first gained fame in Southern rap circles. As the trend spread to fans, teens started using the more readily available over-the-counter versions of cough suppressants.

Today's report, based on interviews with almost 45,000 people ages 12 to 25, provides a snapshot but don't show whether this type of drug abuse is rising, falling or staying the same.“The survey tells me that parents need to be very concerned about the over-the-counter medicines that they have in their medicine cabinet,” Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, said in a telephone interview.
“And young adults need to be concerned about the effects that over-the-counter cold medications and cough medications have on their functioning.”

The abuse was highest among whites — at levels three times that of blacks. Overall, the level of abuse of these drugs is comparable to levels of use of LSD, methamphetamine or the drug ecstasy in this age group, the agency said. Among those ages 12 to 17, abuse of these drugs was most common among girls, while it shifted to young men among those 18 to 25. Nearly 82 percent also had used marijuana, the agency said.

Among those surveyed who said they had misused one of these cough and cold medications in the past year, about 30 percent said they used a NyQuil brand product, 18 percent used a Coricidin product and 18 percent used a Robitussin product.

The cough suppressant DXM is found in more than 140 cough and cold medications available without a prescription. When taken in large amounts, DXM can cause disorientation, blurred vision, slurred speech and vomiting.

"While increasing attention has been paid to the public health risk of prescription drug abuse, we also need to be aware of the growing dangers of misuse of over-the-counter cough and cold medications, especially among young people," said Terry Cline, the agency's administrator.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

© 2008 MSNBC Interactive

College Drinking Games Lead to Higher Blood Alcohol Levels (HealthDay News)

Women at themed events also drank more heavily than male peers, field study finds
-- Madeline Vann

SUNDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The first on-the-scene study of college drinking behavior shows that parties with drinking games result in higher blood alcohol levels, while themed parties encourage college women to drink more heavily than men, new research suggests.

Previous studies of college drinking have relied largely on individual behavior and self-reports of drinking habits. Researchers at San Diego State University and the University of Michigan have determined that environment and party activities also affect drinking behavior.

"Most studies use survey methods that require people to recall their drinking behavior -- days, weeks or months prior -- and such recall is not always accurate," corresponding author J. D. Clapp, director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies and Services at San Diego State University, said in a prepared statement. "By going out into the field and doing observations and surveys, including breath tests for alcohol concentrations, we were able to mitigate many of the problems associated with recall of behavior and complex settings."

The team observed 1,304 young adults (751 men, 553 women) at 66 college parties over the course of three semesters. The parties all took place in private residences close to an urban public university in southern California. The team noted party environment, surveyed attendees and collected blood-alcohol concentrations.

The researchers found that playing drinking games, having a personal history of binge drinking, attending a party with many other intoxicated people, and attending a themed event all predicted higher blood alcohol levels. The researchers expressed surprise over the finding that women at themed events drank more heavily than their male peers.

Students who attended parties with the intention of socializing and people who attended larger parties drank less alcohol.

"From a methodological standpoint, our study illustrates that is possible and important to examine drinking behavior in real-world settings," Clapp said. "It is more difficult than doing Web surveys and the like but provides a much richer data set. Secondly, environmental factors are important. Much of the current research on drinking behavior focuses on individual characteristics and ignores contextual factors. Yet both are important to our understanding of drinking behavior and problems."

The team plans to expand its research to other environments, including bars.

The study was published in the January issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

More information
To learn more about alcohol abuse, visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Sending out transcripts

Seniors, please remember that it can take up to five school days to process a transcript, and that you MUST turn in a transcript request form. If you have any questions, please talk to your counselor.

Final Exams and semester Early Dismissal

Reminder for all students:

January 10 - Final Exams during blocks 3 through 6
January 11 - Final Exams during blocks 1 and 2; Early dismissal immediately after second block (11:00AM)