Prom Week: Day Two

Today Julianna encouraged others to enjoy an alcohol and drug-free Prom by explaining why she won't drink or use drugs.

"Hello everyone.  My name is Julianna and I'm not going to drink at, after, or before prom this Friday.

I'm not sure how many of you are aware, but the legal drinking age for the United States is 21.  That means, when you drink, you break the law.  Romans 13 is very clear that when someone rebels against authority, he is rebelling against what God has instituted.

Most of you are probably thinking, 'Pfft...getting caught drinking is about as likely as me being prosecuted for illegally downloading music from YouTube.  So why worry about it?'

Verse 6 says "it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience."  We all have one: a moral code set in place by the moral lawgiver.  It doesn't matter if you get caught or not.  God knows.  I don't want to look back on Prom night regretting a poor decision, so I'm going to abide by the law set in place by our government. 

I hope you choose to do the same."

It is very encouraging to know that there are young men and women who will speak to their high school peers and explain/encourage them not to use drugs or alcohol.  This is not easy.  It takes great courage for student leaders to stand before the entire high school and explain why drugs and alcohol will not be a part of their Prom plans. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths."   Proverbs 3:5-6

Prom Week: Day One

Before today's chapel two seniors encouraged students not to drink and use drugs this weekend. Here are Jacquelyn's words of encouragement to the students attending Prom.

"Hi, my name is Jacquelyn and I'm here to encourage you not to drink at prom. God calls us to be examples for him in everything we do. He says in 1 Timothy 4:12 'Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.'

Choosing to drink at prom would be choosing a lifestyle that is contrary to God's plan for us. God sent his Son to die for us so daily, we should live for him. So ask yourself, is it worth the risks? Is it worth the consequences? Is it worth it enough to blatantly disobey God and go against his plan for us? The temptation is there and it's not easy to say no. However, you know the harm it can do to you and everyone around you. Be an example for others and prove that you don't need alcohol to have a good time. This weekend, make the safe choice, make the smart choice, make the right choice and choose to not drink at prom."


Students also began signing PROMise contracts.  These are displayed in the school's hallways so students see there are plenty of students opting to have a great time without the use of alcohol and drugs.

Example's Assembly

Example hosted an assembly today and invited two recovering addicts to share their stories of addiction and healing.  The young men explained how their descent into drug and alcohol abuse began and the devastating effects it had on their families, friends and themselves.  

Willie and Kenny are part of Families Against Narcotics and speak to high school students and other groups encouraging them to make decisions that keep them drug and alcohol free.  

Example's passion is to help young men and women realize that drugs and alcohol do not have to be inevitable parts of the high school experience.  Prom is next Friday and Example used this assembly to help encourage high school students to make intelligent decisions next weekend and every day after that.

Video clips of this great presentation will be available soon.

 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young 

but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” 

 - I Timothy 4:12

You're invited...

Example is hosting a special assembly this Thursday, April 24 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.  Recovering addicts involved with Families Against Narcotics (FAN) will speak to Lutheran North’s student body on the dangerous and often fatal consequences of drug and alcohol abuse. 

During a three-year span, Macomb County has had the highest fatal heroin overdoses in the state of Michigan.  Parents are invited to attend the assembly to learn more about the dangers of this epidemic.

The assembly begins at 10:00 a.m. in the main gym and concludes at 11:00. 

Contact John Brandt JBrandt@lhsa.com if you have any questions.

“Most parents think it won’t happen to their child.”

Here are three reasons why you need to read the second part of Jameson Cook's article on heroin use in Macomb County.

• Henry Ford said in a press release last fall that many young people are prescribed “more pills than necessary to treat short-term pain.The youngsters liked how the drugs make them feel and naively thought since they were prescribed by a physician, they were safer and less addictive than alcohol or street drugs,” Henry Ford said. “For some, it would eventually lead to dependence on ... highly addictive heroin.” Click here to read the entire article.

• Parents can’t turn a blind eye toward their children, FAN president, Judge Linda Davis said. “The hardest part is getting the parents to come to events,” Davis said. “Most parents think it won’t happen to their child.”  Click here to read the entire article.

• “The Warren Police Department has not seized any heroin in our schools,” stated Louis Galasso, Deputy Commissioner of the Warren Police Department. “But that doesn’t mean school-age kids aren’t using. I’m not putting my head in the sand and saying it doesn’t exist.”  Click here to read the entire article.

Macomb County leads state in fatal heroin overdoses

Here are three reasons why you need to read this Macomb Daily article by Jameson Cook.

• Heroin and opiate prescription drug abuse has skyrocketed in the county in recent years, giving Macomb the dubious distinction of leading the state in fatal heroin overdoses over a three-year period...“It’s something that happening in every community,” said Judge Linda Davis, president of the statewide organization, Fraser-based Families Against Narcotics (FAN), formed in 2007. “We’ve been screaming about it for the past seven years and nobody listened. Now kids are dropping like flies. They’re not just addicted now, they’re dying. We are getting so many calls from people wanting to get involved with us.”  Read the entire article.

• Randy O’Brien, who treats addicts as director of the Macomb County Office of Substance Abuse (MCOSA), described a common scenario: A youth or young adult gains access to pill swiped from his or her parents or grandparents’ medicine cabinet, or is prescribed pain pills for a sports injury or a procedure such as wisdom-teeth removal.“They’ll use that for a while go get their buzz,” O’Brien said. ”But that source will dry up and that start looking out the streets. … They’ll graduate to heroin. They start snorting it and before too long that start using needles for the better effect. It (injection) gives them an immediate high.”Data supports the rise in opiate abuse. Admissions to county-sponsored treatment programs for heroin and other opiates has more than doubled in 10 years, climbing from 1,126 in 2004, to 2,045 in 2008 to 2,497 in 2013, according to MCOSA. Read the entire article.

• Andrew Fortunato of Fraser, was an athlete and well-spoken high schooler who became an alcoholic and advanced to opiate prescription addiction following a prescription for an injury suffered in a bicycle accident. But he stopped short of heroin. He has become a speaker for FAN, ran a “recovery house” for a year and is a mental health technician at a hospital.“(Opiate addiction) is usually a very gradual process,” Fortunato said. “Nobody wakes up and says, ‘I think I want to become a heroin addict today.’ It’s a slow and steady slide to the gateway of hell.” Read the entire article.

However, if you read the article and still think this will never happen to your family or in your school, please watch this video.

Team Stuef Triumphs at Tour de 'Stang

Example's March event was the Tour de 'Stang. The night's guest speaker was Betsy Andreu. Betsy's husband is former professional cyclist Frankie Andreu who was captain of the U.S. Postal Service professional cycling team that won the Tour de France was Lance Armstrong's teammate.

Betsy Andreu spoke about the attacks on her character that came after she learned Armstrong took performance enhancing drugs. She encouraged students to not succumb to the temptation of taking recreational or performance-enhancing drugs. She said the money might be nice but the consequences of rotting your soul and endangering your health are certainly not worth it. She also encouraged students to remain fixed to the truth no matter how insurmountable or formidable the pressure may seem. 

With Betsy Andreu as our speaker it only made sense that we had a cycling-themed activity.  Blind-man cycling required endurance, trusted teammates, the ability to know right from left and a desire to win.  In other words it was exactly like the Tour de France... but different.

Navigting the Alpe d'MusicRoom required superior climbing skills and trustworthy teammates.

 Each team selected a cyclist and promptly wrapped paper towels around around his/her head.  The domestiques took turns yelling out directions to the blind cyclist over the meandering course through the school's hallways. 

Superior navigational skills allowed Team Stuef to stand atop the podium.
Tour de 'Stang Champs!

Some party

I just read this mother's story about how her daughter nearly died because of some terribly bad decisions.  Example encourages you to read the story and realize consequences like these can be avoided.

Attention Parents:

This is what 2 beers, 2 shots of Captain Morgan, 2 shots of apple pie moonshine, 2 shots of whiskey, and a handful of liquor soaked blueberries looks like on a 16 year old.

My daughter and her cousin decided to throw themselves a party last night while they were home alone for 2 hours at their dads' house. They raided the liquor cabinet and when my ex husband got home he found the girls drunk and our daughter unresponsive. He rushed her to the hospital in Wyoming, and Court and I met him there.

When I arrived I was rushed into the ER and there was my child, lying on a gurney. She was covered in heated blankets to combat hyperthermia - her body temperature was 95 degrees. She was being pumped full of iv fluids. One of the tubes in her throat was running into her stomach continously draining the fluid therein.

It took the ER team 3 attempts to intubate Taylor, they tore her throat up in the process. It was necessary - so she could be attached to the ventilator which spent the next 13 hours breathing for her, because she wasn't able to breathe on her own.

She was rushed by ambulance to U of M Amplatz Children's Hospital around midnight.

My daughter's symptoms were caused by her blood alcohol level reaching it's plateau at .43.

More than 5 times the legal limit.

High enough to kill a grown man.

The Doctors at Amplatz made it very clear to us that had her father had not found our child when he did, she would have undoubtedly died in that house last night.

We, by the Grace Of God alone, will not be burying our child this week. But only because we are extremely blessed. And extremely lucky.

Some party.

I hope my daughter and my niece understand how fortunate they both are. I hope they learned a valuable lesson in this. And I hope this experience shared can help prevent another child losing her life to alcohol.

Parents: 2 hours. They were only alone for 2 hours.

Kids: 2 beers and 6 shots is all it took to almost kill this girl.

Please share this. Help raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol poisoning and teenage binge drinking.  

I never thought I could find us in a situation like this.

Neither did Taylor.

Maybe we should have.

Example Olympics: A Gold Medal Night

Saturday's Example Olympics began with a presentation from Dave Winowiecki of Families Against Narcotics. Dave explained his son's descent into drug use, his near death from an overdose of heroin and the danger and confusion of legalizing marijuana.  Example is thankful Dave and F.A.N. possess such a passion to inform and explain the dangerous consequences of drug use.


The fierce competition took the chill out of the arctic air once the events began.

The first Example Olympic event took place under the stadium lights.  Olympic athletes battled the deep snow and each other as they raced from one end of the field to the other.

Next up was the Human Luge.

The Biathlon required Example Olympians to combine brute force... 

...with impeccable accuracy.

The last event of the 2014 Example Olympics was hockey.

Each goalie donned impaired-vision safety goggles while opponents fired shots like it was their job. Which it was.

Q-tip Biathlon