news release - Norwin School District

SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT 281 MCMAHON DRIVE NORTH HUNTINGDON, PA 15642 CONTACT: MR. JONATHAN SZISH, 724-861-3039 [email protected]

NEWS RELEASE

NEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE FORMS TO COMBAT OPIOID & HEROIN EPIDEMIC More Than 50 Residents Pledge Support; Next Meeting to Feature Noted Saint Vincent Professor NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. — Nearly 50 people from many segments of the greater Norwin community have joined a new

“Nobody

advisory committee whose goal is to engage others in the fight

Nobody. Don’t say, ‘Oh, she

against the opioid and heroin overdose epidemic.

comes from a good family,’

On September 20, 2017, Norwin School District held its first meeting of the newly formed K-12 Operation Prevention Advisory

is

immune.

or ‘Oh, he’s smarter than that.’ Nobody is immune.”

Committee. The 50 members who attended are committed to learning more about the Operation Prevention curriculum and how they can help spread the awareness message among other parents.

- Dr. Connie DeMore, Norwin’s Coordinator of Secondary Gifted Education

Nearly everyone spoke about how they wanted to create a better, more drug-free, future for their children and grandchildren. Key stakeholders in the school community are involved, including parents, students, faculty, staff, PTA leaders, and School

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Board/community members. An agenda from the first meeting follows

The School District is seeking interested Norwin residents to serve on the new K-12 Operation Prevention Advisory Committee.

this news release. At the first meeting, several people who attended spoke about how addiction has touched the lives of their loved ones, including some who have died of overdoses in recent months. In Westmoreland County, 174 people died of drug-related overdoses in 2016. Dr. Connie DeMore, Norwin’s Coordinator of Secondary Gifted Education, spoke about an adult relative of hers who recently lost a battle with addiction that began with pain medication. “Nobody is immune. Nobody. Don’t say, ‘Oh, she comes from a good family,’ or ‘Oh, he’s smarter than that,’” Dr. DeMore said. “Nobody is immune.” Tragically, Dr. DeMore has known 23 students and two family members who have died of heroin or opioid overdoses. This total includes former Norwin students of hers and university students she has taught in her role as a part-time professor at local universities. She

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The next meeting will be at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 14, 2017. Other meetings are scheduled for January 17 and March 21. Meetings will be held in the Library of Hillcrest Intermediate School. Interested persons are asked to email a brief statement of interest to Ms. Suzanne Gigliotti, High School Secretary, at [email protected] and Mr. Timothy McCabe, Coord. of Drug and Alcohol Prevention / Awareness, at [email protected].

wishes she had used harder tactics, such as “playing detective” and reaching out to people when she doubted their assurances that all was well. At the first meeting, each member stood and introduced themselves to the group, explaining their interest in the committee. Despite varying professional backgrounds and experiences, the common factor was a shared desire to reverse the tragic trend of addiction. Members also brainstormed ideas for future outreach and training opportunities. Principals and Administrators spoke about the Operation Prevention curriculum, which Norwin School District piloted at Norwin Middle School this past spring. Dr. William Kerr, Superintendent of Schools, was impressed by the talent, commitment, and diversity of experiences among the attendees. “I am hopeful that the Committee will double in size by our next meeting,” Dr. Kerr said. Three facilitators oversee the Committee, including Mr. Tim McCabe, Coordinator of Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Awareness (also an Assistant Principal at Norwin High School); Mr. Robert Suman, Norwin Middle School Principal; and Mrs. Lisa Banasick, Assistant Principal at Hillcrest Intermediate School. Operation Prevention provides students with the tools they need to make smart, informed choices when they are prescribed or presented with the opportunity to experiment with opioids. The free educational program is a joint creation of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Discovery Education. More information about the free curriculum is available at www.OperationPrevention.com. Based upon results of a survey of Middle School parents, Norwin School District is expanding the opioid awareness program into 10th grade health classes, according to Mr. McCabe, and also adding age-appropriate lessons for fifth and sixth grade at Hillcrest Intermediate School, according to Mrs. Banasick. At future meetings, the group will work to better understand the Operation Prevention curriculum, further engage the school community in the fight against opioids and heroin, and connect with other agencies for education, prevention, and training opportunities for the school community. At the Committee’s next meeting on November 14th, for example, Dr. Eric Kocian, assistant professor of criminology, law and society at Saint Vincent College, is scheduled to present the results of a major, two-year study about addiction. The study was conducted by a team of Saint Vincent researchers under the direction of Dr. Kocian and Dr. John Lewis of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kocian and his team have conducted extensive clinical interviews of more than 150 addiction sufferers in jails, rehabilitation facilities, and outpatient clinics, generating data to provide valuable insight to public policymakers on effective means of prevention and treatment in this area. Dr. Kocian will begin the K-12 Operation Prevention Advisory Committee meeting, which has been rescheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 14, 2017, in the Hillcrest Intermediate School Library.

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