TERRE HAUTE —
Basketballs bounced about the gymnasium floor Saturday as middle school students learned alternatives to negative behavior.
Nearly 100 students from six Vigo County middle schools participated in the ninth annual SADD Games, hosted by the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Triangle Fraternity.
Originally slated for Jan. 21, the event had to be re-scheduled for Saturday because of an ice storm. But gray and overcast, as the weekend was, activities were heating up inside the Rose-Hulman Sports and Recreation Center.
Kevin Dickson, a junior mechanical engineering major and community service chairman of the fraternity, said almost every one of the group’s 96 members had participated in the event at some point in the process. Between 2 and 5:30 p.m., the fraternity brothers would host educational and athletic contests revolving around the idea of avoiding destructive decisions.
Students Against Destructive Decisions — SADD — is a nationwide program with 10,000 chapters in schools across the country. According to information found on the organization’s website, more than 7 million students belong to a SADD chapter nationally. Destructive decisions can range from driving while under the influence of alcohol to drug abuse.
“My favorite part personally is hearing the speaker,” Dickson said of the annual program. This year, Terre Haute native Seth Recknor offered his testimony about the impact drugs and alcohol played in his own life.
Meanwhile, the gym’s floor was filled with games, some of which included “fatal vision” goggles. Dickson explained the goggles mimic the effect of alcohol on one’s vision, and students could attempt to perform a number of tasks while wearing them, ranging from throwing a football to driving a remote-controlled car.
Woodrow Wilson sixth-grader Isaac Hunt said dodgeball was on his mind Saturday.
“I wanted to compete against the other schools and see how good they are,” he said.
Educational activities didn’t get in the way of crosstown rivalries, as local students competed while wearing colored shirts denoting their teams. Hunt said this was his first year participating in the SADD Games, but the issues of destructive choices weren’t new to him.
“It can ruin your life. You can get addicted and bad things can happen,” he said of drug abuse, explaining his school hosts a number of classes about the topic.
Mellissa Weir, a guidance counselor and track coach for Woodrow Wilson, said this is her fifth year bringing students to the program, and each year more kids ask to come.
“It’s a wonderful program. The kids have a great time,” she said.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
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