MIAA summit focuses on drugs: Group honors local counselor
By Joe Sulman

-- PHOTOGRAPH -- From left, MIAA President John Grondin and MIAA Deputy Director Bill Gaine present Bill Phillips, a substance abuse speaker who directs the New Beginnings program, with an award a yesterday's conference in Milford. (Staff photo by Dave Rains)

MILFORD - Student-athletes from across the state yesterday were armed with information to take back to their classmates to fight drug and alcohol abuse.

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's Wellness Summit at the Radisson Hotel included students for the first time this year. Previously it had been for adults only, with students invited to other similar conferences.

The young leaders heard speeches and saw a theatrical performance on the perils of addiction by the Improbable Players. Some students even got the chance to be embarrassed on stage.

Shannon Kepen, a junior at Keefe Technical High School in Framingham, tried on special goggles used during a presentation by Bill Phillips, a substance abuse speaker who directs the New Beginnings program.

Phillips received one of the two awards for Wellness Partner of the Year. During his talk yesterday, he gave Kepen "drunk" goggles to see the effect of alcohol and "stoned" goggles for the effect of marijuana.  Kepen attended the conference with fellow students Mellissa Svoboda and Jay Godino, also juniors. All three said they try to lead by example.

"I've done wellness programs before, so I enjoy it," said Kepen, who is from Ashland.  Sometimes it's hard giving advice to classmates, many of whom smoke and drink, the Keefe students said, but they try not to be too preachy.
"We try to give them good points about what's good, what's bad," said Jay Godino, a junior from Framingham who co-captains the football and baseball teams at Keefe.  Svoboda, however, can't control herself when it comes to smoking.  "I bug (students) all the time about that," the Framingham teen said. "They give me this weird look."

Phillips, whose office is at Keefe though unrelated to the school, works around the state with students struggling with drugs, alcohol and lifestyle decisions.  He said the most important thing to convince them to start making good choices is simply listening.  "Let them talk," he said. "If you're a good listener, everything will follow."

Wellness programs are common in middle and high schools, but the MIAA conference brought together a wide range of community members, state and local officials who expanded the lessons students typically receive, Phillips said.  Gregory Connolly, a doctor at the state Department of Public Health and director of its tobacco control program, gave a talk on the recent gains made in reducing youth smoking.

The rate of high schoolers who smoke in the state has dropped from 34 percent in 1994 to 24 percent today, he said.  "Our biggest success has been with our young people," he said. "I think it was the young people in Massachusetts who were both harmed by and stood up to big tobacco."

Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating, who received the second award for Wellness Partner of the Year, told students and school officials that his office wanted to work with schools more in the future.

"We're all working for the same thing. We're all growing in the same direction," he said.

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