News Highlights
Student Coalition Member on the Impact of NOPE
The NOPE Task Force of Montgomery County was brought to Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, as a part of the Plymouth Whitemarsh Student Coalition. The coalition's goal is to assist law enforcement in talking about drugs and alcohol and the effects with the student body. NOPE interviewed Maddy Fair, president of the coalition, on her thoughts about the program.
Question: How did the presentation impact you?
Maddy: Though I was already very against drug use and well aware of how dangerous it is, the NOPE presentation made my beliefs even stronger. The stories that were told were heartbreaking and devastating, and I could never imagine myself putting any of my family members in a similar situation.
Question: Why did you feel, as a coalition member, it was important to bring the NOPE program to your school?
Maddy: As a coalition member, I felt that it was important to bring the NOPE program to my school because I believe that most students did not understand how lethal drug use can be. High school students tend to joke around about drugs and/or use drugs to make themselves look "cool", so my hope was that this presentation would show them that drugs are not to be messed around with.
Question: What segment of the presentation was most memorable for you?
Maddy: The most memorable part of the presentation was the story about Dennis. Though he was a lot older than me, I was able to connect with the presenter more because they were siblings. I thought of my relationship with my sisters and nearly cried when trying to imagine what my life would be like now if I had lost one of them to drug abuse after repeatedly trying to help them.
Question: What kind of impact do you think the presentation had on your classmates?
Maddy: I think that the presentation had a strong impact on my classmates, as it successfully conveyed the true danger of drug use. Many students left the assembly crying, which shows that they were really able to empathize with the families that lost loved ones, and they understood how important it is to avoid drugs. In the past, we had anti-drug assemblies that had good messages, but were taken as a joke by most of the students. This did not happen with the NOPE presentation; the message was extremely well received and I believe that it scared most students away from trying any drugs in the future.
NOPE thanks Maddy and the other coalition members, the Plymouth Whitemarsh School District, and the Plymouth Whitemarsh Police Department for their continuous efforts in changing the students perception on drugs and alcohol.
Pictured in the photo are student coalition members, NOPE Family Member Volunteers, Ashley Seneko and Tricia Stouch, Montgomery County NOPE Coordinator, Emily Butz, and NOPE Headquarters Manager, Bridget Marley.