THUMBS DOWN to reports that drug use is up since 2009 among students in Alamance-Burlington schools. The good news is they’re not taking the drugs at school. In fact, the report says, students mostly feel safe in our schools. The bad news: Students reported taking drugs at a friend’s house or at their own more than almost anywhere else. The survey included almost 2,000 local middle and high school students. The students who said they had, in the previous 30 days, used alcohol, was up from 14 to 18 percent, marijuana, up from 8 to 13 percent, and prescription drugs, up from 2 to 4 percent. Tobacco use dropped from 12 to 10.5 percent since a peak in 2011.
THUMBS UP to J. Timothy Allen who has published a history of one of the oldest communities in the county. “Snow Camp, North Carolina” is published by The History Press. The book delves into the Quaker background of the historic southern Alamance community, along with early education, sports, spiritual links, the historic drama, Bass Mountain Music Festival and a host of other highlights. We’re glad to see Snow Camp’s history spotlighted in this 158-page tome, joining histories of other county municipalities on bookstore shelves.
THUMBS DOWN to the idea that only student-athletes should have to maintain a 2.0, or “C,” grade-point average if they want to participate in sports. We suggest students who participate in other extracurricular activities should be held to the same standards. We like the idea of raising the standards, but do so across the board. We side with the school board members who believe the district needs to push for higher achievement from all students. We like the words from two members of the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education: “I believe in our kids and I don’t think this is going to be a problem for them,” Pam Thompson said. “I’m not going to sell them short.” Patsy Simpson agreed, saying she did not think students would drop out if they had to make Cs to play. “I haven’t found one yet,” she said. Hear, hear.
THUMBS UP to a new walk-in medical clinic that has opened this month in Burlington. The MinuteClinic is one of 56 locations in the state, part of a nationwide program, and is in the CVS Pharmacy at 2344 S. Church St. The clinic is open seven days a week and has a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant available to diagnose and treat patients, write prescriptions for common ailments and minor wounds, offer college physicals and vaccinations, and wellness services such as weight loss and smoking cessation programs, and screening for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.