Learning Something New Every Day

As the weather began to take a turn for the better, so did allergy season! I had to travel to Boston over the weekend and had a little time to take a "Duck Boat" tour. Among other things, I learned that Boston encompasses about 48 square miles. That caused me to pause for a moment because our District covers about 92 square miles! We don't have the sky scrapers or the population, but we most certainly have a vibrant community.

Heroin Use is on the Rise: As the parent of a high school student AND a college student, as well as my role as superintendent, I am always trying to learn about what they might be facing. I do this so I can be as educated as possible to be able to give ANY parent up-to-date information about what their children might be exposed to or experiencing. I was really surprised to hear about the increase in the use of heroin in our community, as well as the greater Syracuse area and beyond. In speaking to different agencies, the concern for our children is that they might unsuspectingly be exposed to heroine when experimenting with other drugs like marijuana.

Apparently drug dealers lace marijuana with heroin. When a person smokes the marijuana, the heroin is also ingested making the person begin to crave heroin.  I have been told that heroin is more easily available and cheaper than marijuana. The bottom line from my view is to have a conversation with your child (age appropriate of course) about the new dangers in experimenting with drugs. If you need additional help, please reach out to our Director of Counseling/Student Services, Paula Brillo, who can point you in the right direction.

Senior Ball: This week is Senior Ball week! The Junior Prom was excellent, and I am looking for much of the same at the Senior Ball. We will be conducting a DWI simulation for seniors on Friday morning in front of the high school. This simulation is something that we have done since my arrival in 2008, and we have found that it provides students with an experience that they will hopefully never experience in real life.  

If the weather does not cooperate, we will still assemble our seniors indoors and work through some of the key points of the exercise. Thank you in advance to Fairmount Fire Department, the District Attorney's Office, Meyer's Towing, the Camillus Police Department, WAVES Ambulance, Buranich Funeral Home, the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office, the Onondaga County Coroner, and all the student and parent actors. 

Olympics are Special: I am also very excited this week for the Special Olympics. They will be held on Thursday at North Syracuse High School. Each year I get to witness champions and this year will be no different! Good luck to our Wildcat competitors!

Have a great week!

Chris