Sisters Middle School to fight drinking

The Deschutes County Prevention Office will receive $20,000 in grant funds to finance programs to reduce underage drinking in the local community.

Funding is provided through the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and administered by the state Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs.

Deschutes County will utilize the funding to implement a pilot program using Life Skills Training curriculum in Sisters Middle School and in middle schools in the Bend-La Pine school district.

"The Life Skills Training curriculum differs from more traditional prevention models in that it addresses understanding the causes of alcohol and other drug use, factors that influence the initiation of substance abuse and adolescent experimentation and behavior," said Julie N. Lyche, Deschutes County Prevention Coordinator.

Funds from the grant will be used to purchase curriculum, provide training for the teachers, and to purchase necessary materials and supplies for implementation of the program.

For more information contact Julie N. Lyche at 322-7461.