"Just Think" Urges Smart Choices, Honors a Lost Friend

On August 23 of last year, Adam London was driving on a secondary road in Newton.

Alone in the car, without a seatbelt, he was on his way to a friend’s house to meet some buddies. It was close to 10 p.m. and the road was slick from the rain, but the  junior – who had earned his driver’s license five weeks earlier – went between 50 and 60 miles per hour.

That’s when Adam lost control of the car, which flipped, skidded and hit a tree. When the emergency workers arrived at the scene they found him in the backseat of the wrecked car. The 17-year old had been killed instantly.

The day after, friends and students gathered in the Newton North cafeteria to mourn Adam. Then something unexpected happened: Adam’s parents, Howard London and Barbara Spivak, came to speak to them.

“Please don’t do anything stupid like Adam did. The pain for the ones left behind is unimaginable,” they said, according to Claire Masinton, the mother of Adam’s best friend, Jared.

“I said to the students, ‘You have to promise it – say it out loud.’” she recalls.

That was the beginning of . Over the following weeks and months a website was launched, a Powerpoint presentation constructed. Perhaps most important, a contract was procued where students would sign their names and promise not to be reckless drivers. Claire Masinton, Adam’s parents and some of his friends visited schools to tell Adam’s story to students, and asking them to make the promise.

“It’s a very moving presentation, it makes students think,” says Masinton.

That’s also what Sally Brickell and Lynne LeBlanc, co-presidents of Newton North’s PTSO board, hope to achieve next week. The two are co-chairs of Just Think, a series of events held at Newton's high schools, aimed at preventing risky teen behavior.

“These are serious subjects – alcohol, drugs, texting and driving, stress, eating disorders. We want to show students that there are resources available to them,” says LeBlanc.

Among the activities held at the high schools this week are two parent nights: the first--titled "Breaking Free From Depression"--will be held tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at  and will include a panel discussion and video. The second will be held on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Newton North and will focus on "A Promise to Adam."

In addition, student assemblies will be held at the schools throughout the week that focus on positive decision making. 

“When teens start looking at substances like alcohol and drugs, it’s important that they see other people who are not using them–that they see they’re not alone,” says LeBlanc.

The week culminates with a teen safety expo on Saturday, which will include exhibitors such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Parents Helping Parents as well as free massages, food and performances by students.

Brickell explained that it is "inevitable" high school students come across alcohol, drugs, anxiety and driving dangers, which is why the event hopes to not only draw high school students, but families of middle school students as well.

According to the co-presidents, planning of the events  began after PTSO meetings and the School Council had discussed "teen choices and their sometimes painful consequences."

This was during the aftermath of London’s accident and when A Promise To Adam had launched. The campaign, which is now a charitable organization and has collected more than 2,500 promises, will hold three events on Thursday at Newton North, where Adam would have been a senior this year.

One of the speakers there will be Jared Masinton. After his best friend died, Masinton says he has become more careful not to speed and he realizes how dangerous cars can be even though they feel safe. He wants the students to see what can happen when they take risky choices.

“It’s about the little things – they go a long way. Like putting your seat belt on and not putting anything into your body before you drive,” he says. “This affects not only you, but also the people around you. Other people care about you.”

For more information on this week's Just Think events and the exhibits at Saturday's expo, visit the Just Think Web site or Facebook page.