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Challenge of Tarrant County and Arlington ISD\u2019s \u201cI Choose\u201d campaign posters will be on display at UT-Arlington\u2019s Maverick Stadium for the 2025-26 football season. (Courtesy photo | Challenge of Tarrant County)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to reframe the social norm,\u201d Carolyn Hanke, the program director of Challenge of Tarrant County, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hanke, who spearheaded the campaign, said the idea was born following an assessment of Arlington\u2019s needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said that, while student-focused campaigning is effective, the campaign needed to reach parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I go talk to a teenager who\u2019s using, they\u2019re just going to roll their eyes at me because I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m talking about,\u201d Hanke said. \u201cWe need to reach the parents.\u201d<\/p>\n
True change comes from open conversations between parents and students, John Haenes, Challenge\u2019s chief operating officer, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of parents will have that 60-minute conversation about the dangers of drugs,\u201d Haenes said. \u201cIt needs to be more (like) 60 one-minute conversations throughout their adolescence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
How prevalent is drug use among high school students?<\/strong><\/p>\n Around 15% of high school students reported they had used illicit drugs<\/a>, such as methamphetamines or cocaine, in 2024, while around 30% of 12th graders reported cannabis use<\/a> in 2022, according to CDC data.\u00a0<\/p>\n Members of Challenge of Tarrant County said that drug use among students has become increasingly normalized. Davis Crone, a senior at Arlington High School, said that social media also led to normalization.\u00a0<\/p>\n Crone, who was chosen for the campaign by officials at his school, currently plays on the soccer team. He plays \u201cwherever the coach needs,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n Crone said a program like this is important for showing the younger generation reasons to stay away from drug use.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou just can\u2019t do drugs,\u201d Crone said. \u201cIt ruins your life and reputation, doesn\u2019t set you up for success.\u201d<\/p>\n Ayva Garcia, a sophomore at Arlington High School, chose modern dance over drugs.\u00a0<\/p>\n She echoed Crone\u2019s sentiment about hoping the campaign inspires the next generation, saying that the use of THC vapes has become prevalent.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like a lot of people just started vaping because their friends do it,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of dumb, because you can get in trouble with it and not have good goals in life or better opportunities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Both students\u2019 testimonies and posters will be displayed in the school district and at the UTA stadium during Arlington ISD football games<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The posters are made with stock art images that reflect the student population. Hanke said the approach helped the program expedite the campaign, since they would not need to ask for parent permission for photos.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the bottom of each poster, a QR code links to a website<\/a> with information for parents on how to approach the topic of drug use.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those who use drugs do not account for a majority of people, Haenes said. With the campaign and the tools the program is spreading, he hopes to dispel the idea that drug use as a youth is normal.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you talk to kids at AISD, they\u2019re going to tell you, \u2018Oh yeah, everyone\u2019s vaping, everyone\u2019s smoking THC,\u2019 but that\u2019s not the case,\u201d Haenes said. \u201cIt may be a misaligned norm that is beginning to influence people. We wanted to really drive home a campaign talking about the good that is happening out there. You often hear the bad the kids do. You don\u2019t frequently hear the good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Chris Moss is a reporting fellow for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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