Queen Anne's County High School was joined this Fall by Ms. Kelly Minot, MS, the school’s new Prevention Coordinator. Ms. Minot is here as part of the three-year federal grant the QAC school system received to reduce alcohol abuse among youth with a particular emphasis on the growing pattern of binge drinking.
Queen Anne's County Alliance to Reduce Alcohol Abuse Grant
The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education - Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools and will provide funding for three years. QACPS is one of 76 organizations awarded this grant from approximately 400 organizations which applied nationwide. The three goals of the program are to create a measurable decrease in binge drinking, increase the percentage of targeted students who believe that alcohol abuse is harmful to health, and increase the number of students who disapprove of alcohol abuse.
“Few of our county parents and community members realize how high our county’s youth binge drinking rate is. According to the 2007 Maryland Adolescent Survey results, at the state and national level, youth alcohol use is down, but among our county teens our rates today are 35% higher than five years ago.” stated Ms. Minot. “These rates are of great concern because of the serious consequences of binge drinking for adolescents. Research has shown us that binge drinking leads to multiple problems for this age group including impaired brain development, slowed motor skills, and difficulty learning new ideas/concepts. It also leads to impairment in their decision-making abilities, with risky, often dangerous behaviors such as unwanted or unsafe sexual activity, drunk driving, violence, or illegal drug use as a result. For the student athlete, studies have shown that it weakens athletic performance even days after the alcohol was consumed. It also contributes to high blood pressure and obesity as early as the early 20’s, contributes to alcoholism as adults, and of course if you’re caught drinking as a minor, there are the legal repercussions.”
Parent Involvement Requested
Ms. Minot is part of a four-person team working in the middle and high schools throughout the county, and she is also the prevention coordinator for Kent Island High School. Her first task is interviewing the administrators, faculty, staff, parents, students, and community members of her two schools about youth substance use. She is currently recruiting parents and students to participate in focus groups about alcohol use by minors. Each focus group will be a moderated discussion with 9-10 participants; groups will meet one time for approximately one hour. Parents are encouraged to call Ms. Minot at the school or at minotk@qacps.k12.md.us if they would like to participate.
Ms. Minot's Bio
Ms. Minot holds a Master’s Degree in Community Health Education, and is a graduate of Queen Anne’s County High School. She is currently an adjunct professor at the Community College of Baltimore County and Chesapeake College. She has previously worked as health educator for the American Cancer Society and, as a caseworker for adults with developmental disabilities.
For more information, please contact Ms. Minot at Queen Anne's County High School.