To the Underclassman of duPont Manual High School:

With Spring Break in the rearview mirror I know that many of you are already planning your beach getaways for next year. As a senior, I feel it is my duty to keep you safe and informed for the future. So please read the following for your own good.

Spring Break. Senior year. For millions of students across the country, this is the most highly anticipated week of their four years spent in high school. The images of massive parties on the beach dance through their imaginations, put there by countless Hollywood movies and TV shows. Every March and April, teenagers migrate south in droves, settling primarily in the beaches around the Gulf of Mexico, Cancun, and islands in the Caribbean.

It is no secret that teenagers drink during spring break. A lot. Ignoring that fact is not only naive, it is unsafe. There are certain precautions that anyone who drinks should take but apply especially to inexperienced teenage drinkers.

Know What You Drink

For starters, never leave your drink unattended, and never accept a drink from somebody you do not personally know and trust. It is a sad truth that there are some creepy manipulative people in the world today. There are countless stories of girls getting drugged and taken advantage of. Two Manual students that visited a resort in the Dominican Republic were hospitalized after a high dose of Vyvanse was given to them during a night of drinking.  These stories are not just distant things that happen to other people. They are real and affect real people.

Driving

Driving drunk is one of the most irresponsible things that anybody can do. The loss of motor skills, judgement, and reaction time make driving while intoxicated nearly impossible. Driving drunk is not only dangerous to your self, but more importantly it is dangerous to everyone you come in contact with. Imagine having to live with yourself knowing that your irresponsible action caused another person’s life to come screeching to a halt.

Being Alone

This applies to everyone, but girls here need to pay special attention. Do not go out on your own. Always have a friend with you when you go out drinking. This goes back to the above mentioned portion about creepy manipulative people. Having a friend with you severely decreases the likelihood of getting potentially drugged or kidnapped.

Knowing your personal limit

Know when to stop before you start. Nobody wants to clean up your vomit. It’s gross and it makes you look sloppy. Another consequence of over drinking is blacking out. The high levels of alcohol disrupt the communication to the point where your brain cannot retain information. Often times the next morning you cannot any remember the events of the night before.

Moral of the story here, don’t be stupid. And if you’re going to be stupid, don’t be very stupid. Be cognizant of the environment and stay safe. No spring break story is worth a life cut short.

Yours,

 The Class of 2014