The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

On the day that Stephen Withrow allegedly brutally beat and killed Curtis Dean Kizer, he had consumed nine 22-ounce beers, according to a search warrant affidavit.

The 17-year-old allegedly purchased the alcohol illegally from a clerk at Space Age Gas.

Withrow's day of drinking ended with a tragedy, which only makes it an extreme case of underage drinking in Sisters.

One poor choice can begin a dangerous spiral downward to more poor choices, said Sisters High School Principal Bob Macauley in an interview with The Nugget. That's why members of the community need to confront poor choices from the start and take responsibility to be "our brother's keeper," Macauley said.

Jim Golden, assistant principal at SHS, told The Nugget he hopes the killing at Drake Park in April will act as a "wake-up call" for students to see that "bad things do happen."

"Kids have a personal responsibility, but it is not extending to social responsibility," Macauley said. "They think, 'If I'm not doing anything bad at a party, but another student is throwing down 40s (40-ounce beers), that's okay.' They think it's okay because 'I'm not doing anything wrong myself.'"

Underage drinking is a widespread problem in the state as well as locally, Macauley said.

"In a statewide survey, 45 percent of juniors indicated use of drugs and alcohol in the last 30 days," Macauley said. "That's something we as a community need to be aware of."

During this school year, 15 students at Sisters High School have been disciplined for the use of drugs and alcohol, according to Golden. But Golden said he suspects that is only a fraction of the students who are using them.

The penalty for a student possessing alcohol on campus is typically a 10-day suspension. All of this year's 15 cases involved alcohol and/or marijuana, except for the one incident, which resulted in expulsion, Golden said. That incident involved a student who was selling Coricidin, an over-the-counter cough medicine, to other students.

"Alcohol is the big thing because it is the easiest to get -- from parents' own liquor cabinet or from older people buying it," Golden said.

The school district cannot discipline kids who use alcohol off-campus, unless they are a member of a school team, Golden said. Athletes must sign a contract when they join a sport indicating they will not use drugs and alcohol during the school year, Golden said.

Golden said the school was informed of one large off-campus party with alcohol which was held last winter. A student held the party at home while his/her parents were out of town. Golden said the party was busted by the police, and the student athletes who attended the party were sanctioned by the school through suspension or other disciplinary action.

Parents should be wary when their child wants to go "camping." Both Golden and Macauley said "camping" trips in the woods are popular venues for "partying."

Golden said he suspects camping areas near Three Creeks, near the shooting area at Zimmerman Butte west of town and near Squaw Creek Falls are spots for such parties.

Golden said parents generally need to be aware of what their kids are doing at night.

"Parents should know phone numbers to where their kids will be any time there are sleepovers or camping at this time of the year, or anytime the kids are not out at a movie or a school outing and are out past 1 a.m.," Golden said. "What is there to do in Bend past 1 a.m.?"

Golden said students who are involved in sports or extracurricular activities are typically less likely to engage in illegal behavior such as drinking.

"What that means is that they don't have as much time on their hands," Golden said. "When they're not doing the activity, they are studying."

Golden said that 63 percent of the high school's student body is involved in athletics, 59 percent are involved in other programs; 84 percent are involved in some kind of co-curricular activity.

Acceptance is a driving force for anyone's behavior, Macauley said in a newsletter mailed to staff and parents on Tuesday, May 10.

"In my 23 years as an educator I have observed that the most powerful drug in middle school, high school or the adult world is the drug of acceptance," he wrote. "People will do anything for it."

This need for acceptance can keep kids from telling their friends when they are out of line, Macauley told The Nugget. So, through teacher and coach mentoring, Macauley said the school district staff is hoping to encourage youth to be "their brother's keeper." He said the motto for the high school football team is "as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."

"If I'm at a party and there's drinking, don't say 'I'm not responsible for a friend's drinking because I'm not drinking,'" Macauley said. "Because you are there and that gives them credibility. It starts in kindergarten. We can teach values. I don't know why people are so afraid of values: respect, honesty -- those are all values we can adhere to."