The student news site of Naperville North High School

The North Star

The student news site of Naperville North High School

The North Star

The student news site of Naperville North High School

The North Star

Students’ health is in their own hands

♦ Staff Editorial ♦

Illustration by contributor Jess Arnold
Illustration by contributor Jess Arnold

Everyone competes for his or her own reasons.

We would like to think the majority of those reasons are, for the most part, honorable.

We would like to think that the majority of NNHS students bound by the district co-curricular code wish to enrich their mind, body, and soul. Whether these students are participating for the love of their sport or activity, for their friends, or for the experiences they gain, the vast majority of students strive to succeed.

Yet, sometimes teenagers lose focus and make poor decisions.

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Sometimes, they sacrifice their mental and physical well-being in a moment of weakness. Students at NNHS are suffering and getting ill, sometimes gravely ill, because of drug abuse.

Because the district decided mandatory drug testing would not garner positive results, “The North Star” staff encourages students to participate and compete honorably. We hope that students will have enough motivation to make healthy decisions without being forced to do so by District 203.

As we stated in an earlier editorial, “The North Star” endorsed the district’s consideration of mandatory student drug testing. We believed, and still do, that such a policy would hold students accountable. It would have emphasized the importance of honoring one’s commitment and making healthy lifestyle choices.

Mandatory drug testing may not have been the answer, but at least it would have been a demonstrated further effort on the district’s part to proactively combat what is a serious issue. Though current measures, such as drug prevention programs, do exist to make the district’s anti-drug message visible, these programs seems to have minimal impact on student behavior.

And if the district doesn’t feel it’s appropriate to implement policies forcing students to modify their behaviors, it’s our job as students, peers, and individuals to make these decisions for ourselves.

We should choose a drug-free lifestyle on our own.

We should choose a drug-free lifestyle because it means a healthy future. We should choose a drug-free lifestyle because it means securing stronger relationships with those who care about us.

Those of us bound by co-curricular should choose a drug-free lifestyle because, although the district will not be testing to enforce it, we have made a commitment to our sports and clubs. Fear of mandatory drug testing might have helped to solidify this commitment, but it should have been an obligation we felt all along.

Whatever the district chooses to do in its effort to combat student drug use, what matters more is how students respond to the situation.

Because at the end of it all, district administrators aren’t the ones who are facing the terrible effects of teen drug abuse.

Your peers are. You are.

Make your choice.

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Students’ health is in their own hands