Boston Celtic Chris Herren at Feehan

Many of you have heard me say that we make every effort to try to educate the whole person. Sometimes, those lessons fall outside the boundaries of the classroom walls. Historically, we have taken the opportunity during prom season to bring in a guest speaker who can speak from the heart about experiences where drugs, alcohol, or other at-risk decisions have impacted them personally. When possible, we have this person present to the entire student body as I have come to learn that no high school student is too young to be exposed to peer pressure.

I am very proud to announce that on Monday, April 9 at 12:30pm, we will host former Boston Celtic Chris Herren. The documentary Unguarded about Chris’ struggles with drugs and alcohol has been nominated for two Emmy Awards. His presentation at Seekonk High School in December drew rave reviews.

Obviously, the subject matter and the details of Chris’ struggles are graphic, but I support the fact that our students need to occasionally hear the "tough love" aspect of a worthwhile story.

More information about Chris’ presentation is available on his Hoop Dreams website.

I encourage you to talk to your student about this presentation after they hear it on Monday.

Since it is Prom/Semi-formal time, I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you of the purpose of our Student Directory. Talk to your child’s friends’ parents! The risk/reward of embarrassing your child versus his/her safety is clear. As much as we love our kids, they aren’t perfect (Who is??). They may make poor choices. The prevalence of cars and the fact that texting has become the primary mode of communication have significantly decreased our chances, as parents, to be able to pinpoint where our child is. If you develop the mindset in them that you will check, they are more likely to be above board with you.

Again, I believe in our kids, and the strong foundation that you have provided for them; however, taking the extra step to ensure that they are safe is an investment in our most valuable resource - our young people.