Education
Mark Cappelli Bryan Wallman 02-21-17

What Happens When Darien Police Visit an Under-Age Party with Alcohol

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When police are alerted to a teenage drinking party in Darien, most of what they do revolves around the safety of the under-age drinkers there and the safety of other people who might be on the road when intoxicated drivers from the party go home. That was one of the themes brought up by two Darien police officers involved with youths in town when the officers spoke recently at a meeting for parents at Darien High School. Detective Mark Cappelli, who works on cases involving youths in town, and Officer Bryan Wallman, who had just been named (two days before the meeting) as school resource officer for Darien High School, replacing James Palmieri, who had just been named a detective. Cappelli, who grew up in town and lives here with his wife and daughter, has been on the Darien police force for 21 years, and on the Youth Bureau for the past nine years. Wallman has been a police officer in town for the past decade and previously was school resource officer at Hindley School.

Healthy Living
7 to 12 Grade Past 30 Day Use 02-19-17

Darien Health Dept: How Many of These Risks from Under-Age Drinking Do You Know?

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A statement on supporting the Thriving Youth Task Force’s campaign against under-age drinking in town, from Darien Health Director David Knauf:

The Darien Health Department has recently concluded a series of presentations entitled “Darien, How Healthy Are We?” which was an overview of the health status of our community and comparing recent data with the findings of the last health assessment conducted in 2007. [Editor’s note: You can see videos of the three meetings here, here and here.]

While chronic illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular disease still claim the most lives in Darien, police activity and EMS response calls have noted a definite increase in drug and alcohol abuse in recent years. Additionally, the Thriving Youth Task Force has identified “binge drinking”, as having become quite prevalent in Darien. A few facts worth noting:

* Alcohol and tobacco are usually the first drugs that young people experiment with or use. While the use of alcohol and tobacco does not cause all young people to develop problems associated with drug use, there is evidence that using these substances creates situations/environments that are supportive of future/further drug use.

Education
Ellen Dunn Darien High School Teen Drinking Substance Abuse 02-12-17

DHS Principal Ellen Dunn on Drugs, Drinking, Disciplining Students and What Parents Can Do

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Even when Darien High School administrators are dropping the proverbial hammer down on your child in high school, the hammer is only proverbial, Principal Ellen Dunn told parents at a recent meeting — administrators are trying to help, and discipline can be a turning point for your kid. Or, as she put it: “The lucky ones get caught.” That was among the observations and advice Dunn had for parents at the “Truth and Consequences” panel presentation last Tuesday night in Darien High School Auditorium. Dunn, in fact, had so much to say from a perspective that few people in town have, that Darienite.com is publishing a near transcript of what she said. Among the points she made:

“We do not report disciplinary actions to schools.”

Healthy Living
Teen Drinking Darien Thriving Youth Initiative 02-07-17

Letter from Y Director Pat Morrissey: Parents in Darien Have a Challenge with Teen Drinking

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“This is our problem, our responsibility. If we truly understand the problem, if we give our hearts and minds to it, then together, we can find a solution.” ___________

To the editor:

In November 2014, the Community Fund administered a survey of Darien Public School’s 7th-12th graders to quantify and identify a set of skills, experiences, relationships, and behaviors that enable young people to develop into successful and contributing adults. To date, more than 600,000 young people between the ages of 8 and 18 have taken the same “Resources and Asset Survey, designed by the Search Institute, making it one of the most used instruments in the world for measuring the internal strengths and external supports that influence a youth’s success in school, and in life. The survey had also been administered in Darien twice before, in 2008 and in 2011.

Community Fund of Darien 2017
Truth or Consequences event graphic 02-05-17

‘Truth & Consequences’ Panel Discussion on Teen Drinking at DHS Auditorium

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A panel of five area experts will speak at Darien High School on Tuesday night, Feb. 7, about teen drinking from the perspectives of the law and law enforcement, how it impairs teenage brains and athletic abilities and how Darien High School deals with drinking. The meeting is for both parents and students. The panel discussion takes place in Darien High School auditorium on from 7 to 8:30 p.m. (or 9 p.m., according to the Community Fund of Darien website) on Tuesday. These panel members will be participating in the discussion:

Darien EMS-Post 53 Director Nancy Herling will discuss how Darien ambulance crews respond to intoxicated teens.

Healthy Living
Teen Drinking Teenage Drinking Darien Thriving Youth Initiative 02-07-17

Commentary: Parents Need to Make Clear to Teens That Drinking Is Unacceptable

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The team of psychologists, therapists, and educators at the Southfield Center applaud the public health campaign initiated by the Thriving Youth Task Force of The Community Fund of Darien. ________

— Dr. Frank Bartolomeo, Ph.D is director of behavioral health services at Southfield Center for Development in Darien and a member of the Thriving Youth Task Force. All images and links on this page were added by Darienite.com. A presentation for teenagers and parents on the consequences of teen drinking is scheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday at Darien High School Auditorium. 

________

By any measure, binge drinking during adolescence is a serious public health concern with both immediate and serious consequences for teenagers and their families and with long-term costs to our society. Neuroscientific research over the last 10 years has conclusively demonstrated that alcohol not only affects the developing adolescent brain differently from an adult brain, but can interfere with normal brain functioning.

Community Organizations
Truth or Consequences event graphic 02-05-17

‘Truth & Consequences’ Panel Discussion on Teen Drinking at DHS Auditorium

By |
Download PDF

A panel of five area experts will speak at Darien High School on Tuesday night, Feb. 7, about teen drinking from the perspectives of the law and law enforcement, how it impairs teenage brains and athletic abilities and how Darien High School deals with drinking. The meeting is for both parents and students. The panel discussion takes place in Darien High School auditorium from 7 to 8:30 p.m. (or 9 p.m., according to the Community Fund of Darien website). These panel members will be participating in the discussion:

Darien EMS-Post 53 Director Nancy Herling will discuss how Darien ambulance crews respond to intoxicated teens.