Old Colony Archives
Old Colony Voc-Tech students plan 'lock in' party
By Paula Charbonneau, Standard-Times correspondent
February 9, 1999
ROCHESTER -- They'll be jamming, they'll be shooting hoops and hanging out, they'll be eating pizza, and having a good old time as Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School students get locked in at the Healthtrax Fitness center in Dartmouth.
Members of OCR's club Students Against Destructive Decisions are sponsoring the lock-in.
"SADD kids have a message. This is like a party with a message. Kids can have a great time without having to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or do drugs. We're going to a place where we can play games, do physical activities and have fun, we're going to laugh all night," said OCR Health and Mediation Coordinator Kathy St. Martin.
The lock-in is happening Saturday night Feb. 13 from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and it is SADD's way of demonstrating that fun comes from within.
SADD kids picked up on the theme as a way to get their message across.
As the name indicates the students want to help their peers make non-destructive decisions without preaching or passing judgment.
"There is more than one dimension to health. These are social events, what could be more fun, what could be better?" Mrs. St. Martin asked.
SADD's message is not falling on deaf ears either if the community support this event has received has been any indicator. Mrs. St. Martin proudly shows anyone who sets foot in her office about 20 cases of soft drinks that have already been donated.
"Some of the businesses who have contributed are Wal-Mart, Ann & Hope, Porky's meat market, and Stop and Shop, we have gift certificates, and it's great. The kids are psyched," she said.
The lock-in is for OCR students only and already at least 130 tickets have been sold. The tickets cost $10, $7.50 of which goes to Healthtrax and $2 for pizza. That leaves proceeds to SADD at 50 cents per ticket.
"SADD is paying for this whole event. There isn't much profit. The kids do fund-raisers, but it's never enough. That is why the community support means so much to us," said Mrs. St. Martin.
The students will pick from a variety of activities offered at the fitness center but they have also chosen to have a dance hall with disc jockeys and karaoke. There will be a room for live music and a jam session. Other activities will include board games, basketball, volleyball, and the pool, saunas, whirlpool and steam room. There will be a pizza party at 2 a.m. and OCR's culinary department students will be baking.
"There's going to be a lot of jamming. We have at least one band coming and a lot of kids are bringing guitars. We've got two drum sets. So far the students have signed up from every grade level," said OCR guidance counselor Rick Mitchell.