web1_TTL112216kings.walker.jpg

King’s students receive Peyton Walker Foundation Scholarship

web1_TTL112916hanson.bdy_.jpg

Happy birthday Mac Stephen Hanson!

<p>HANOVER TWP. &#8212; It got delayed once because of an electrical short, then shunted inside because of rain.</p><p>But when the S.O.B.E.R. campaign kickoff finally did take place at Hanover Area Junior/Senior High School Tuesday, school resource officer Eric Richardson skipped the microphone and made the message immediate and personal.</p><p>A young woman driving while texting hit some gravel on a nearby highway, spun out and &#8220;is in the hospital,&#8221; Richardson told students in the school auditorium for the safe-driving event. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know if she&#8217;s alive. This is fresh. This happened in the last 24 hours.&#8221;</p><p>Richardson reminded the students that one-third of teenage deaths are in car crashes.</p><p>&#8220;I have a simple request. Don&#8217;t drink and drive. Don&#8217;t drive distracted,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Be safe. You are part of this community, and if something bad happens to you, we all hurt.&#8221;</p><p>The S.O.B.E.R. campaign &#8212; Slow On the Bottle, Easy On the Road&#8221; &#8212; is spearheaded regionally by Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services. The agency holds similar campaign kickoffs at other schools. The highlight is usually a car totaled in an alcohol-related accident put on display.</p><p>Hanover Area had the car, sitting on its roof in front of the high school, but didn&#8217;t have the weather. Rain fell most of the morning, so the kickoff came with the school fusion band playing on stage. Several people gave brief remarks and the students got bags filled with information and a red &#8220;strike out drugs&#8221; wrist band.</p><p>Even though the trashed car was out of site, Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services CEO Jason Harlen referred to it being &#8220;as realistic as it gets,&#8221; then recounted a near-accident on his way to the event. Drinking and distracted driving accidents &#8220;are 100 percent preventable,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Please look at each other, take care of each other.&#8221;</p><p>Principal Daniel Malloy echoed that message, urging students to take action when friends risk lives by driving drunk or distracted, or are about to get into a car driven by someone who is drunk.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been here long enough to see many good things,&#8221; Malloy said. &#8220;But I&#8217;ve also been here long enough to attend funerals for our students. I don&#8217;t want to do that again.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_sober01.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hanover Township Police Sgt. Eric Richardson speaks to Hanover Area Junior/Senior High School students on Tuesday during the S.O.B.E.R. program held in the school auditorium. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_sober01.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hanover Township Police Sgt. Eric Richardson speaks to Hanover Area Junior/Senior High School students on Tuesday during the S.O.B.E.R. program held in the school auditorium. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_sober02.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jason Harlen, CEO of Wyoming Valley Alcohol &amp; Drug Services, speaks to Hanover Area Junior/Senior High School students on Tuesday during the S.O.B.E.R. program held in the school auditorium. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_sober02.jpg</photo1><caption1>Jason Harlen, CEO of Wyoming Valley Alcohol &amp; Drug Services, speaks to Hanover Area Junior/Senior High School students on Tuesday during the S.O.B.E.R. program held in the school auditorium. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

S.O.B.E.R. campaign kicks off at Hanover Area