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A recent survey of Talawanda students regarding alcohol, tobacco and drug use is showing a number of positive changes.

Fully implemented in 2001, the biennial Pride Survey is designed to help schools measure student use of the various substances through a series of in-depth questions covering everything from family life to extracurricular activities to the role of religion in students' lives. Students between seventh and 12th grades take the test anonymously, with initial results passed along to Miami University psychology students, who help the district analyze the data.

The latest test saw positive changes as it relates to alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, with students reportedly using the substances less and perceiving them as more harmful than 2005 results indicated.

Thirty-day use of alcohol dropped 28 percent since 2005, with tobacco use seeing a 17 percent decrease and marijuana use falling 31 percent in that same time period.

Amy Macechko, Talawanda's health and wellness coordinator, said the district is pleased with the trends related to substance use.

"We are certainly pleased with this report," Macechko said. "But we still recognize there is work to be done and we will continue to address substance use through the comprehensive strategy we've developed."

Part of that strategy includes targeting younger demographics in an effort to educate elementary students.

When data indicated certain activities and relationships helped protect students from substance use, district officials took a proactive approach and encouraged elementary level educators to help channel students toward desired outcomes.

"We're saying that there may be things we can do to build these students up and providing them with the assets and skills they might need when they get into the middle school years," Macechko said. "When they're faced with those tough choices, they'll hopefully have the resistance skills and self-esteem required to say 'No.' "

District spokeswoman Holli Morrish attributed Talawanda's positive feedback to the district's significant focus on the elementary level.

"We're educating students so they have to tools to avoid these problems later," Morrish said. "We're coming in at an earlier stage than most other programs and, frankly, I think it's something we do better than our neighbors."

But while participation in athletics serves as a protective factor for some students, others reported it serving as more of a risk factor in both 2005 and '07.

Macechko said it is difficult to speculate as to why that particular influence works both ways, but noted the district has been working to curb risky behavior among athletes through programs geared toward educating athletes on both their position as role models for other students and the importance of keeping their bodies substance-free.