Bonanza High School - Golden Visions Yearbook (Las Vegas, NV)

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The following was written and published in order to make the Bonanza Community aware of the pot and alcohol situation We hope that awareness will causediscussion and through discussion, solutions. -- The Golden Visions Staff ll ll ll 1 ll l Who cares? I think it's wrong to be so wasted at school that you can't concentrate, but a small buzz doesn't hurt. - Anonymous I think there's a time and place for everything and school isn't a place to get stoned. - Andrea Sylvester Who cares? lt's there to smoke. - Anonymous I enjoy being high at school. lt helps me cope with the bs I hear every day. - Anonymous Early in the year Nlr. Markholt's second period class conducted a poll on drugs and alcohol. The survey con- sisted of several specific questions on drug and alcohol. Out of 380 students polled 511k said they've come to school or work high at least once. One out of three polled preferred to come to school high. Completing the sen- tence I prefer to drink either beer, wine, hard liquor, or nothing. 30'M1 answered beer, 30'Xn said wine, 22'MJ chose hard liquor, and 18fXJ preferred not to drink. When asked if B.H.S. had a drug or alcohol problem 60fM1 answered yes. Why are these students partying? A shocking 781k said they needed a drink to relax, yet 65'Xn said alcohol or drugs make them more aggressive. 37fMn polled can indulge with parent approval. Non-polled reasons for get- ting high on anything at school include: escape from everyday pressures, problems at home, enjoying time with friends, actual physical addiction, peer group pres- sure, anger at society's hypocrisy, an extra lift for the day, getting out of depression, or just to get high. The use of pot, drugs, or alcohol at school was not obvi- ous, but apparent. Some students went to their cars or to the desert to get high before school or during assemblies. Occasionally someone was caught with a bottle in their locker or with liquor in 7-11 cups. On Baby Day of Home- coming Week some students put liquor in baby bottles. The landscape around the school was peppered with beer cans and broken bottles after party weekends. The Top of Bonanza was a favored partying spot since police cars could be seen approaching and cars could easily escape before the police arrived. , On the contrary, there are students who don't dare 'to party at school. Non-polled reasons include: fear of being labeled as a stoner, not wanting to get burnt out or sick, wanting to be fully alert, fear of dropping grades by cutting classes, being afraid of getting caught, arrested and exposed, or with some people parting was a weekend kick. ' - 48 pot and alcohol at b.h.s. We re here to help. Drugs, properly prescribed by physicians for short durations can and often do positive good for people, but indiscriminate use of drugs for pleasure is usually dan- gerous and damaging and often leads to experimentation with harder and more addictive drugs. - Dr. Chal- fant lt's really sickening to see people coming to school under the influence of alcohol or drugs. When we try to help them all we hear is narc, narc, narc! We're here for a purpose. I can't stop them from smoking pot, but once they bring it on campus they're breaking a state law. - Charlie Cantera Chall monitorj They don't think ahead of time what it will do to them. Emma Schweitzer Cnursej The main concern of the administration pertaining to pot, drugs, and alcohol was abuse. When a student's grades fall, attendance drops, behavior alters, or he dis- rupts those around him, he becomes detrimental to him- self and others, and these factors are often caused by drug or alcohol abuse. The administration wanted to cur- tail this process and help the student. The preventative measures taken by the administration included showing Beading, Writing, and Reefer, a one hour documentary made in 1978 that consisted of nation- wide statistics on pot use in the schools and interviews with students who used pot every day. Health classes were required to devote an entire unit to the study of drug and alcohol abuse. There was also a 2V2 hour assembly with Mr. Zig Zigler. The assembly helped each person deal with self-image and personality needs. The Realtors Association paid 53,000 for the assembly. What if a student was suspected of being under the influence in school? He was sent to the office where he was given a physical agility fest that tested certain reflexes. The parent or guardian was then notified to pick the student up. If the student was in possession of drugs or alcohol the Las Vegas Police Department was notified and the student was arrested. The student was then put on a mandatory program that involved five seminars each two to three hours in length. The student had to attend these seminars with his parents to find out why he started on drugs or alcohol and to help stop him from continued abuse. The school also worked with organizations such as Focus, a drug rehabilitation center, Alanon, for alcoholic teens, the O. D. Treatment Center, and Operation Bridge and Peace of Mind, for runaways.

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