Students encourage peers not to drink

The holiday season is a time for families to be together and that often means traveling. A group of Carson Middle School students is trying to make the trip safer for those people.

Members of the Fighting Alcohol Through Education school group gathered early Wednesday morning to tie red ribbons to faculty cars as a reminder not to drink and drive.

They also handed the ribbons out during lunch time to encourage their peers not to drink.

"It lets people know that we're trying to prevent underage drinking and we're trying to save people's lives," said Danielle Moore, 12. "I think that's important."

The club started this year at both Carson and Eagle Valley middle schools as a means to prevent underage drinking.

"Underage drinking is the root problem to drunk driving, suicides and unwanted pregnancies," said Sarah Stadler, 13. "If you go after that, you'll reduce those problems as well."

Laurel Stadler, of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said middle school students are at the prime age to learn about alcohol abuse.

"Alcohol involvement starts so often in the middle school," she said. "That's the age group that needs to be targeted with the no-use message."

The club has 16 members.

"To have this many kids who are willing to take a stand is really incredible," Stadler said.

Jon Bass, 12, joined to make a difference.

"I was tired of hearing about all the accidents and people drinking underage," he said. "I wanted to stop people from drinking underage."

Samantha Wells, 12, also thinks the club has an important message.

"It's important to me to give back to the community," she said. "Underage drinking leads to drunk driving which leads to crashes and deaths."