By Kathleen McAleese
Editor-in-Chief

Teen culture around alcohol booms in the high school years and Westford Academy is no different. Adolescent use of alcohol is even considered to be a major issue by teachers and law enforcement alike.

According to the 2013 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey results, the percentage of teens who had used alcohol was 63%. This figure was a 13% decrease since 2005, but the figure is still well over half. 

Faculty at WA see the nonchalance in teens surrounding substances and Health and Wellness teacher Melanie Jozokos finds displeasure in that.

“I think the philosophy of it being the ‘norm’ for high school and college students to experiment with drugs and alcohol is absurd,” said Jozokos. “It doesn’t need to be the ‘norm.'”

In her Senior Health courses, she also teaches about drunk driving and the effects that alcohol will have on a person behind the wheel of a vehicle. She shows students a short clip of a story about a drunk driver crashing head on into a limo and killing a young girl. The effects are profound but to Jozokos, it is an important lesson to learn.

The new Student Resource Officer, Jeff Pavao, who recently replaced Detective Justin Agraz has begun his time at WA following winter break. He too had seen teen alcohol use first hand during his time as a patrol officer.

“Unfortunately we still see cases of [underaged drinking] on the weekends. I don’t think its so prevalent that kids are drinking every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, but certainly on the weekends,” said Pavao.

Expectation seems to be a significant factor in high school drinking culture. Students who have older siblings could get into high school and expect the same milestones to occur at the same time as other people that they know.

“I think it’s one of those stepping stones where people come into high school and… have expectations that these parties will involve meeting new people or alcohol,” he said.

The use of alcohol, while it has decreased since 2005, is still a major issue in schools today, to the point in which Jozokos begins to worry about some students.

“I worry all the time. It’s difficult and frustrating to care about their health more than they do sometimes,” she said.