Our findings so far in this project link with what we are learning in our criminology class here at the school. We are currently studying psychological explanations for crime. The connections between said theories and our topic of drugs in our school is very interesting. We have looked at labelling theories, which state that society interprets culturally identified gestures and creates a self-image. These labels imply behaviors which can strongly effect an individuals actions in society and their ability to achieve goals. This directly links to our topic as kids who try drugs are often stereotyped. These labels can easily confine students to a place where they are not able to escape and be anything but what they are labeled as. Another theory we have looked at is the concentric zone theory. This theory implies that transitional neighborhoods experience a large population turn-over, which affects population composition, industrialization, and cultural changes. Walnut Grove has experienced this change with the building of the golden ears bridge connecting maple ridge to walnut grove. As a group we wonder if perhaps these changes have influenced drug rates in our area, and maybe even within our own school. This also connects to the social structure theory which states that these highly transient neighborhoods see a higher crime rate. These are a few of the connections we have currently made. We plan to discuss these ideas further with our contacts in the near future. -Katie
Yesterday we interviewed our school's principal and asked him questions about our topic. He believes the reason kids in high school experiment with drugs is to deal with pressure associated with school as well as peer pressure. How the kids are getting them, he believes, is through other kids and other people in the community. He said some possible solutions for the issue is to have more RCMP involvement and undercover officers approach the area where the drug activity is happening. He also stated that he does not want school to feel like a prison so he does not want to make people feel uncomfortable at school and perform locker and bag inspections. With conversations with other principals he said they all have the same problems and solution methods in mind. The final question we asked was, Do you think it's possible to eradicate drugs from school? and his response was no. - Taylor and Krysten
When students use drugs there are a few issues that occur with using. Such as addiction and with addiction it affects the learning outcome. With the learning being affected it can effect one being able to graduate. Also with being addicted it will have an impact on your attendance. The smell of a user can affect the concentration of the non-users around them. - Krysten
Using both online and observable resources, we have discovered a few of the major causes behind drugs in our school and others. A major catalyst for students and drugs is peer pressure. The pull of the crowd can often be the starting point along with the desire to fit in. High school may become a high stress environment very quickly, this among other things can lead to anxiety, depression, and other underlying mood disorders. Students seek an escape from these issues and may turn to drugs as an outlet. However school may not be the only strenuous part of a students life. Unstable home environments and poor parental relationships may also cause students to seek relief from these situations. Another cause of drugs in schools seems to be the easy accessibility of both prescription and illegal drugs (prescription being the easier of the two). With this easy accessibility comes the problem of teenagers being drastically misinformed of the effects of drugs on their physical and mental state. At this point in our research these seem to be some of the greatest motivating factors for drugs in our school. -Katie
Hello, we became interested in this topic from overhearing people talking about drugs in our school and understanding that this is a relevant topic in most schools today. We will be looking into causes for drugs being in schools. Through examining the causes we will meet with experts in the field to come up with more causes and some solutions. -Taylor
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AuthorsA group of three students who currently attend Wgss and are trying to find solutions to a relative issue within their school. ArchivesCategories |