Hopkins sticker campaign aims to prevent underage drinking

Prom is on Saturday at Hopkins High School, and in anticipation of the big event, 17-year-old Katie Tomsche recently stopped in at a local liquor store.

Her mission didn't involve a fake ID or liquor purchase. She was there to encourage adults to discourage her peers from drinking.

It's part of the third annual "Sticker Shock" campaign in Hopkins, where students post stickers on bottles at local liquor stores to remind adults not to contribute to underage drinking. A similar program will be launched next week by Minnetonka High School students.

As teens prepare for prom and graduation season, west-metro schools and communities are readying for the celebrations by ramping up marketing campaigns against underage drinking. The message this year also has expanded to include distracted driving.

"We're really coming together as a community to do this," said Brenda Badger of the Hopkins Community Coalition: One Voice for Reducing Youth Chemical Use, which is working with the students to spread the "Sticker Shock" campaign to 12 Hopkins and Minnetonka liquor stores.

That's because teens, especially younger ones, are largely getting alcohol at home or from friends' homes.

Among underage drinkers, most of the ninth-graders statewide reported they got alcohol from friends, parties or their own homes, according to the latest Minnesota Student Survey. By 12th grade, those consuming alcohol received it from friends, parties or someone else.

In Bloomington, Richfield and Edina, the Tri-City Partners are asking liquor stores to post messages reminding adults not to host underage drinking. Annual reminders also are sent to parents via the three cities' high schools, churches and local media.

"The main message is alcohol use is not a rite of passage," said Eileen O'Connell of Bloomington Public Health and Tri-City Partners. "It's a serious health risk."

Schools in Chanhassen and Chaska are also putting pressure on parents. At Minnetonka High, parents are signing a pledge that they won't allow underage drinking in their homes.

Parents are a key factor

"Parents are the most important factor in whether kids use," Imogen Davis of Tonka CARES said. "The kids who report that their parents strongly disapprove of alcohol are less likely to drink."

That's why Minnetonka High School's "Reveal What's Real" campaign aims to debunk the myth, spreading the message that seven out of 10 students report that they don't drink. Wayzata High has even employed the help of eighth-graders to post safety reminders on carnations given to the students at prom May 14.

Tomsche said they're hopeful that extra pre-prom messages to their peers and their parents will make a difference.

"I want to remember my high school career," she said. "I think it's important I do what's legal and good now and when I'm 21, I can go out and drink then."