by Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

NNSL (NOV 06/96) - It may be one of the few things students at the two high schools agree on.

St. Patrick and Sir John Franklin high schools are banding together in a head-on fight against drunk drivers. The co-operative effort is a first between the two schools.

The students are waging an awareness campaign to educate the public on drinking and driving. They are organizing poster drives to publicize their message and overnighters at the school to promote alcohol-free events.

"We want to show that you can have fun without drinking," says Angela Masongsong, a Grade 10 student at St. Pat's.

The students may even spend some time in court observing drunk-driving cases to make their point.

"Just to sit there so that they can see us and know we are there," she says.

Gwen Young, a teacher at Sir John Franklin, will be assisting the students when they go into the feeder schools to talk about the issue.

"We want to do presentations with them to show them how not to take part in high-risk activities," she says.

The younger students will draw on bags that will be displayed at the liquor store during Christmas. "It's a way to get them involved," says Young.

She says the youths are getting the message about drinking and driving.

"Kids are starting to understand the issue," she says. "They are starting to take care of each other."

She is, however, a little disappointed with the response from the community.

"I don't think they understand what we are trying to do," she says. "I think that the younger generation is getting it, but the older generation isn't."

Hasongsong agrees. "We are finding that more younger people are listening to us," she says. "We're starting to focus our events on older people."