• It is my privilege to have served in my capacity at KMC for the past 7 years.

• Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s mission is to educate and form the total person in the image of Jesus Christ. We review the appropriateness of that mission frequently, and are confident that we are making steady progress in pursuit of that mission.

• My short presentation will involve three, interwoven themes:
- We have higher behavioral expectations for our students than does society as a whole for the general population of high school students.
- The decisions our students make affect the entire Catholic community in Wichita.
- Our students need their parents to be parents, not their best friends.

• First, with the faith basis that has been instilled in our children since birth (in most cases), our students know the difference between right and wrong.
- When they make a poor or destructive decision, they have consciously chosen to do wrong.
- I often say that smart kids and good kids sometimes do dumb things and bad things; we just hope they don’t seriously harm themselves or others when they do so, and that they learn from and don’t repeat their mistakes.
- In serving as a Eucharistic Minister at all-school Masses at school, it strikes me how many of our students do not receive communion. It saddens me because I assume they are abstaining due to their not being in a state of grace. Looking for the positive, however, I take heart in knowing they take seriously the obligation that they be free of mortal sin as a condition of receiving our Lord in the Eucharist.

• So, how prevalent are the decisions our students are making? The Communities that Care survey is administered to high school students bi-annually throughout Kansas. We participate, and our results are tabulated along with Bishop Carroll’s as one reporting unit. I want to share some information with you from the 2006 survey.
- 52% of diocesan students have used alcohol, compared to the 66% state average.
- 30% of diocesan students have used alcohol in the past 30 days, compared to the 45% state average.
- 16% of diocesan students have engaged in binge drinking, compared to the 25% state average.
- 18% of diocesan students have used marijuana, compared to the 25% state average.
- 8% of diocesan students have used marijuana in the past 30 days, compared to 11% statewide.
- The usage of cocaine, LSD and meth among both diocesan students and statewide are less than 5%.
• The answers to several other questions were especially enlightening:
- How old were you when you first had more than a sip or two of beer, wine or hard liquor? diocesan students = 13.9 years old; state = 13.0 years old
- How old were you when you first began drinking alcoholic beverages regularly (at least once or twice a month)? diocesan students = 15.0 years old; state = 14.3 years old
- How old were you when you first smoked marijuana? diocesan students = 14.6 years old; state = 13.8 years old

• Certainly, our students’ reported destructive decisions in these areas are somewhat less prevalent and are made initially at a later age than average students in Kansas. But, we have little to boast about. Sexual activity is another area of concern, but we don’t have any statistics in that area.

• Again, we do and we must hold our kids to higher standards. They are better educated, and they know right from wrong, but they too often choose to do wrong.

• So, what are the impacts of our students’ bad decisions?
- The impacts could be potentially fatal (car wrecks, overdoses, etc.); fortunately, none of our students have been involved in a drug or alcohol-related fatality since 1988.
- They could be lifelong addictions and/or other related challenges.
- They could be police records, detention, legal costs, etc..
- The could result in dismissal from school or suspension from activities.
- Who knows what some of the other impacts might be?

• Bad decisions certainly impact the kids who are making them, as they should. But, they affect others, as well.
- KMC’s reputation is, in some ways, not very good.
- Too often, I hear “Kapaun has a drinking problem. Kapaun has a drug problem. There is too much drinking, drugs and sex going on at Kapaun.
- I assure you that none of those activities are going on during the 35 hours per week we have the kids at KMC; parents need to do what they can to prevent such activities during the other 133 hours per week.
- Our reputation is holding us back as a school. Occasionally, I learn of students who should be KMC students, but have chosen another school because of the rumors.
- All of us, with the support of Monsignor, are providing tremendous financial support for our schools. We all deserve to have our schools be as strong as possible. Our students’ destructive decisions weaken our spirit and, frankly, they are holding us back.

• My final theme starts with my encouragement of all KMC parents to a) sign the Parent Pledge, and b) take the Pledge seriously. It reads “As a parent of a KMC student, I pledge to the following:
- I will not allow parties in my home without adult supervision.
- I will not provide nor allow the use of alcoholic beverages for anyone under the legal drinking age at a party in my house.
- If I am the host parent of a social gathering, I will attempt to contact the parents of anyone possessing, or under the influence of, drugs or alcohol.
- As a parent of a minor invited to a social gathering, I will contact the host parents to verify the occasion and parental supervision.
- I will inform my sons and daughters that I have signed this pledge, and I will discuss its contents with him or her or them.”

• 89% of our parents signed the pledge this year, probably many of you in this room. I want to encourage you to follow it; it’s not being done!

• In closing, I just want to encourage all of you to be the best parents you can be.
- Kathy and I raised four children. They weren’t perfect, and we weren’t perfect parents. There are some things I’m sure we’d do differently if we had it to do over again.
- Being a parent is a tough, tough job; make no mistake, it is a job.
- I’ve had tough jobs in my career. None of them were as hard, and none were more important, than being a dad.
- Work together on this. Communicate among yourselves. Be the ears and eyes for each other.

• Here are a couple of quotes to end on:
- “When you’re raising teenagers, someone in your house is probably going to upset most of the time. It might as well be the kids as a result of you doing your jobs as parents.”
- Pardon my English, but “being a parent ain’t no popularity contest.”

• Thank you for all your support of Catholic education and of Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School. I appreciate your attention.