CREATING CONVERSATIONS SPEAKER SERIES

The Seven Hills School’s Creating Conversations is a speaker series designed to engage as a community, with each other and with the help of experts in their fields, about raising bright, healthy, happy children.

Prevention At Home With Glenn Hall

Glenn Hall, from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, formerly Freedom from Chemical Dependency, spoke with parents in the Young Family Library in February about preventing alcohol and substance abuse at home.

Hall has been doing prevention work with fifth to 12th grade students, including at Seven Hills, for 27 years. He explained the different curricula and methods he uses for students depending on their age and understanding of drugs and alcohol. He told parents that he is frequently asked by students what the worst drug is. He always tells them it is the one they think is the safest.

“The younger a person starts drinking, the greater the chances of developing alcoholism and chemical dependency. A teenager who drinks, even under parental supervision, is five to seven times more likely to develop a drug or alcohol problem later in life,” Hall said.

He gave parents advice on how to lower their children’s expectations about the amount of drinking and drug use in high school and college, which is statistically lower than most people think.

GLENN HALL

“THE YOUNGER A PERSON STARTS DRINKING, THE GREATER THE CHANCES OF DEVELOPING ALCOHOLISM AND CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY. A TEENAGER WHO DRINKS, EVEN UNDER PARENTAL SUPERVISION, IS FIVE TO SEVEN TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP A DRUG OR ALCOHOL PROBLEM LATER IN LIFE."

Finding Balance With Social Media

The Seven Hills Counseling Department held a screening of Indieflix documentary “Like” in The Schiff Center on March 9.

The film covers the impact of social media on daily life by speaking with technology experts, doctors, parents, and teens.

Teens explained their relationships to different social media platforms, like Instagram and TikTok. Doctors and medical professionals talked about the benefits of limiting screentime.

Counseling Department Chair Angie Bielecki provided discussion guides for attendants to help them navigate social media usage in their families.