Recalling Just Say No in Newark Schools

JUST SAY NO! Many will remember this well-recognized phrase signifying the program from which thousands of Newark students benefited, particularly in the '80s and '90s.

Nationally, Just Say No came about in 1980 in response to a need for a drug abuse intervention program in the country. Allegedly the phrase "Just Say No" was coined by First Lady Nancy Reagan, when a student asked, "What do you do when someone offers you drugs?" By 1985, the program went to the national level.

Locally, Just Say No began in 1986, with national funding supplied to train advisers and start programming for elementary students. All Newark elementary schools participated, at times collaborating with one another for meetings, activities, and even "rallies."

At John Clem Elementary, we started with nine staff members as advisers and approximately 35 students. The program continued to expand, and its popularity grew at Clem, some years including over one hundred participants. Leadership went from nine down to two or three advisers (usually only art teacher Julie Hawkinberry and myself).

We involved students in various activities monthly. This included educational activities, speakers, and ways to say "no" — not just to drug use, but our program included how to say no to the many wrong choices life may present.

We included service to others, the importance of making friends who shared the same values, and had fun events that involved good choices. We attended celebrations, visited nursing homes, had food drives, and Clem even organized a city-wide Just Say No club skating party for a few years.

Some began to wonder about the effectiveness versus the cost of the program. In the end, national funding ended. Some Newark clubs continued, but eventually the official program stopped in Newark's schools. But at Clem, the club continued, as we felt it important that the positive Just Say No program remain. I'm happy to say it still exists today with teachers Julie Hawkinberry and Amy Hayes as current advisers.

I continue to run into former students who have fond memories of the Just Say No program. Has Just Say No made a difference? Sadly, we know for some it has not, but I sure like to think that if the Just Say No program made an impression on even just a few each year, it was well worth it.

Linda Leffel is a Newark native, a retired teacher, and is the immediate past-president of the Licking County Historical Society.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION

Who was the organizer/first conductor of the Licking County Symphony?