Welcome!
CHOICES would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our staff and help you get familiar with our program. Kim Linkel is the Director and Cindy Blessing is the Assistant Director of the program. The team of two work hand in hand in all aspects of the program by providing educational and Parent Pledge components, and alternative activities.
CHOICES has many educational and alternative activities planned for the 2009-10 school year. We will send out information as those events are approaching. During Red Ribbon Week and the Great American Smokeout we will have various activities and give information to the students regarding the dangers of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. A few of the alternative activities that we will participate in or host are dances, movie nights and YMCA nights.
CHOICES has purchased fatal vision goggles and three game systems to take into the schools during lunch/recess. The students can play XBox360 games and/or throw kooshballs while wearing fatal vision goggles which give the impression of being intoxicated. The goggles vary in degrees of intoxication and are a real eye opener for the students in seeing just how much their vision is impaired when under the influence.
As you can see, we are kicking off this year with a BANG! Our goal is to see that every student and parent is offered the opportunity to learn more about the effects of drugs and alcohol. We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to become a member of this program. As a member, you will be given educational materials to help you become a more informed parent along with the student/parent list that allows you to see who has pledged not to serve or allow minors to drink at their residence. Please note, that this in no way means that you are pledging not to have alcohol in your home for adults. This is a great tool to have when your child comes to you and wants to go to a party at a friend's house. All you have to do is pull out the list, check to see if the parents have pledged not to serve or allow minors to drink alcohol in their home, and make your well-informed decision from there.
For your convenience in becoming a member of the CHOICES program, you are able to print the Parent Pledge from this website. Please take the time to read the pledge, sign it along with a volunteer form, and return them to your child’s school. If you have already signed a pledge and/or your child is moving from BMS to BHS, you do not need to sign a new one. However, if you have signed a pledge and your child will be moving from SLS or BMS to OA, please complete a new form. This assures that the information we have is up-to-date and accurate.
We guarantee that the "choice" to remain true to this pledge, will be one of the best you ever make as a parent.