Evolution of Dance defines The New Cool

“The majority of things in your life are there because of the choices you make.”

This was the message inspirational comedian Judson Laipply brought to students throughout Wood County as part of this week’s Red Ribbon Week celebration.

Laipply, who earned notoriety through the viral YouTube sensation The Evolution of Dance, told students in the Rossford and North Baltimore school districts on Tuesday that when they are asked, no young child answers that they dream of being addicted to drugs. All of the small choices they make as they experience life, however, influence whether each person will attain the goal or if their life will take another direction.

Laipply’s message that “Life is Change” and that you are the master of your own destiny speaks to the heart of the Wood County Educational Service Center’s “The New Cool” campaign: Just because other people tell you that the only way to be cool is to drink, it’s just not true. Being cool has a lot more to do with who you are, what you do and how you think, than with what you drink.

He illustrates his message with a performance of the Evolution of Dance, a high-energy, entertaining act that shows how dancing trends have changed through the years. The Evolution of Dance was the most-watched video on YouTube in 2007. Today, it remains in the top five. It has earned him guest appearances on Oprah, Ellen, The Today Show, and America’s Got Talent.

Laipply, who was introduced to the student body in North Baltimore by Teen Institute members Tessa Reinman, Madison Fitzgerald, Ashley Baisden, Ashley Quantic, and Cody Switzer, also spoke this week at Perrysburg Junior High School, Otsego High School, Eastwood High School and at the Elmwood Community Center.

His performance was funded by the Wood County Educational Service Center through the Reducing Alcohol Abuse in Secondary Students (RAASS) grant.

For more photos of Judson's visit to North Baltimore, visit http://picasaweb.google.com/WCESCPrevention. To watch part of Judson's presentation, or to see his Evolution of Dance at North Baltimore, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/WoodCountyESC#p/a

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On the Web:

http://www.mightaswelldance.com/

The Incredible Years class offered

Parenting can be tough. So can being a kid.

The Children's Resource Center, Bowling Green, is offering two sessions of The Incredible Years training beginning in November. You can choose to attend sessions in either Bowling Green or Bradner.

At the Incredible Years parent training, parents of children ages 3 to 8 will learn how to:

• Increase children's self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Strengthen children's social skills
• Discipline effectively
• Boost academic success

The 12-week classes will be held each Tuesday beginning Nov. 9, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Bradner WSOS Head Start. To register for this session, contact Angie Patchen at Children's Resource Center by Nov. 3 at (419) 352-7588 or 1-888-466-KIDS.

Alternatively, you can register for the session that will be held at the Jordan Family Development Center in Bowling Green. That 12-week session will be held each Tuesday beginning Nov. 16, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Register for this session by Nov. 10 by calling Kristin Nagel or Cindy Eckel at Children's Resource Center at (419) 352-7588 or 1-888-466-KIDS, or e-mail debbieg@crc.wcnet.org

Classes are low-cost and space is limited. Child care is available. Light meals will be provided each week.

New Photos Posted

Hello everyone. I hope you are having a fantastic week as we enter Red Ribbon Week and a celebration of an alcohol-free lifestyle.

New photos of the Red Ribbon kickoff and the Perrysburg homecoming and float construction have been posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/WCESCPrevention.

More photos will be posted over the course of the coming two weeks of various Red Ribbon-related celebrations around Wood County, including the Teen Institute float in the Rossford Halloween parade, which happens Oct. 31, and photos of a special surprise that is coming to several schools for Red Ribbon.

Have a GREAT week and be safe.

Workshops in Wood County to Help Parents Improve Family Bonding and Reduce Risk of Teenage Drug Use

In a workshop series called Guiding Good Choices® being offered in communities across Wood County, parents will learn how to strengthen their bonds with their children and reduce the risk that their children will use drugs.  The five-week program is being offered by the Wood County Educational Service Center.  Each weekly workshop will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on respective days at the following sites.

Elmwood Middle School every Tuesday beginning October 19th; North Baltimore Middle/High School every Thursday beginning October 21^st; Eastwood Middle School every Monday beginning October 25^th; and Indian Hills Elementary in Rossford every Thursday beginning January 13^th.

Guiding Good Choices is an interactive program for all parents of children in grades 4-8.  In a lively and open atmosphere, parents will learn specific strategies to help their children avoid drug use and other adolescent problem behaviors, and develop into healthy adults.  Parents will learn to set clear family guidelines on drugs, as well as learn and practice skills to strengthen family bonds, help their children develop healthy behaviors, and increase children’s involvement in the family.

The Guiding Good Choices program, from Channing Bete Company, was developed by Dr. J. David Hawkins and Dr. Richard F. Catalano of the University of Washington.  Their research has shown that when children are bonded to their parents, school and non-drug-using peers, they are less likely to get involved in drug use or other behavior problems.

Studies of Guiding Good Choices have shown that the program is effective in strengthening parent-child bonds and preventing teenagers from starting to use alcohol and other drugs.

An alarming number of teenagers today will use alcohol or marijuana before leaving high schools.  According to the 2010 ADAMHS Wood County Youth Survey, 24% of Wood county high school seniors reported binge drinking in the past month and more than 15% report monthly marijuana use.

Workshop activities are based on Hawkins’ and Catalano’s Social Development Strategy, a theory of human behavior that identifies the factors that promote social bonding and positive behavior.  In a review of research conducted over the past 30 years, Hawkins and Catalano have also identified twenty factors that increase the risk of teenage drug use, as well as delinquency, teen pregnancy, dropping out of school, and violence.

The series is provided by the Safe Schools/Healthy Student Initiative through the Wood County Educational Service Center.  The workshops are free for attending parents.  Light refreshments, child care, and door prizes will be provided each week.

For more information contact Greg Bonnell at (419) 354-9010 ext. 228.