Schools
Aliso Niguel High School Message: Say No to Drugs
Faced with the rash of alumni deaths in the past year, Aliso Niguel decided to take action. It held a drug prevention assembly.
had its first Anti-Drug Assembly on April 27.
The assembly featured an emotional speech by mother of the late Jarrod Barber, an Aliso graduate from the class of 2008 who died from an overdose of prescription drugs.
Standing next to posters with pictures of Riley Russo and Ryan Winter, both also members of Aliso's 2008 graduating class, Barber begged the students to stay away from marijuana and other drugs.
Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Following Barber, speaker Keith Hawkins took the floor to address the students on matters of effort and motivation. Mixing humor with his message, he was able to make an impact, as evidenced by the crowd surrounding him after each assembly.
Said student Andrea Cahhal, "The speaker, he really affected me today ... my best friend ended up in a psychiatric hospital after trying to kill himself after what drugs had done to them."
Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Junior Elyse Johnson added, "It hit home with me. It really gets you thinking. "
