Shawsheen Tech Hosting Substance Use Awareness Night On March 13

BILLERICA, MA — Shawsheen Valley Technical High School has announced it will be hosting Substance Use Awareness Night for parents/guardians, students, staff and community members next month.

The event, conducted in partnership with the Billerica Substance Abuse Prevention Committee, will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on March 13 at the school, located at 100 Cook St. Shawsheen Tech serves students from Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Tewksbury and Wilmington.

Shawsheen Tech Principal Jessica Cook said in January that a Substance Abuse Awareness Night was being planned after concerns about vaping at the school.

At the event, Massachusetts Partnership for Youth, Inc. (MPY Inc) is scheduled to conduct a workshop titled "Underage Substance Use" from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

"Underage substance abuse continues to be a major issue in our schools and communities," event organizers said in a statement. "Street drugs are readily available in many communities and teen drug users may easily obtain over the counter or prescription medications from a variety of sources, including the family's medicine cabinet."

Organizers said information about the opioid epidemic will be included in the workshop.

From 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. guest speaker Tony Hoffman will be giving a presentation titled "From Prison to the Olympics."

Hoffman served two years in jail in California after being sentenced for drug-related robbery. Once paroled, Hoffman became a professional BMX racer and finished fourth in that event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Today, Hoffman is an author, owner of a drug and alcohol treatment facility and one of the most requested mental health and substance abuse speakers on the circuit.

"(Hoffman) spends most of his time on the road pouring his heart into each presentation in hopes of inspiring the audiences he's grateful to reach," said organizers of the Shawsheen Tech event.

Hoffman also is scheduled to speak to Shawsheen Tech students during the school day on March 13 and March 14.

In addition to the MPY Inc. workshop and Hoffman's speech, the event on the evening of March 13 will feature other substance use awareness-related resources in the Shawsheen Tech cafeteria, including: Hope's Room with Gary and Tracy Carter, a Billerica Substance Abuse Prevention Committee resource table, a Frontline Initiative resource table and a Shawsheen Tech resource table.

Registration for the event is available online. Organizers said registration is not required, though it is encouraged in order to help them to accommodate all guests.