Cali Arenson values responsible decision-making. The Manalapan High School senior is the president of the school’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapter.
Her dedication to SADD is evident by her participation in the organization since her freshman year and her position on the state SADD board.
Cali was inspired to join SADD by her older sister, who was a board member, and by her wish to achieve “big goals and big dreams” in life.
“Kids make stupid mistakes and one stupid mistake can ruin everything,” she said.
Those mistakes include drug use, alcohol use and texting while driving, according to Cali.
Through SADD, she is able to get the message across to other teenagers about the importance of making the right choices.
“We are not trying to lecture. We are trying to inform [teens]. Lecturing is the worst,” Cali said.
Cali said about 65 students are members of the Manalapan SADD chapter, many of them freshmen.
“They [freshmen] are coming from a middle school that did not have this, and they want to make a difference,” she said.
The group members meet twice monthly and discuss upcoming events, such as the annual candlelight vigil and the annual run/walk to honor Carlee Wines, a Manalapan graduate who died in 2007 when she was struck by a vehicle as she was walking on the campus of the college she attended.
On April 1, the Manalapan SADD chapter held its annual candlelight vigil. This year the focus was on impaired driving.
Among the approximately 50 attendees were Manalapan Mayor Jack McNaboe and Freehold Regional High School District Superintendent of Schools Charles Sampson.
“I am always amazed with the dedication of the students and staff in delivering the message. This is a program that is of vital importance to parents as well as students,” McNaboe said.
His only regret about the evening, he said, was seeing “empty seats” that could have been filled by a family that could benefit from the event. He added that the “stats are staggering, alcohol alone is the No. 1 cause of death among teenagers.”
Cali said the candlelight vigil was “all about promoting smart decisions and to spread awareness to our peers and our community about impaired driving and how dangerous it is.”
“Manalapan High School’s vigil is a powerful event highlighting the dangers of impaired driving. SADD is a tremendous program within all of the district’s schools. The program’s peer education really hits home with students, with many taking pledges to avoid destructive decisions such as texting while driving,” Sampson said.
According to the SADD website, the organization was founded as Students Against Driving Drunk in 1981 and has grown to become the nation’s leading peer-to-peer youth education and prevention organization with thousands of chapters in middle schools, high schools and colleges.
In 1997, in response to requests from students, SADD expanded its mission and name and now sponsors chapters called Students Against Destructive Decisions.
Cali said her involvement with SADD has made her think a lot about how one decision can affect an individual’s future.
“Kids think nothing could happen to them,” she said.
Her dedication to SADD is evident by her participation in the organization since her freshman year and her position on the state SADD board.
Cali was inspired to join SADD by her older sister, who was a board member, and by her wish to achieve “big goals and big dreams” in life.
“Kids make stupid mistakes and one stupid mistake can ruin everything,” she said.
Those mistakes include drug use, alcohol use and texting while driving, according to Cali.
Through SADD, she is able to get the message across to other teenagers about the importance of making the right choices.
“We are not trying to lecture. We are trying to inform [teens]. Lecturing is the worst,” Cali said.
Cali said about 65 students are members of the Manalapan SADD chapter, many of them freshmen.
“They [freshmen] are coming from a middle school that did not have this, and they want to make a difference,” she said.
The group members meet twice monthly and discuss upcoming events, such as the annual candlelight vigil and the annual run/walk to honor Carlee Wines, a Manalapan graduate who died in 2007 when she was struck by a vehicle as she was walking on the campus of the college she attended.
On April 1, the Manalapan SADD chapter held its annual candlelight vigil. This year the focus was on impaired driving.
Among the approximately 50 attendees were Manalapan Mayor Jack McNaboe and Freehold Regional High School District Superintendent of Schools Charles Sampson.
“I am always amazed with the dedication of the students and staff in delivering the message. This is a program that is of vital importance to parents as well as students,” McNaboe said.
His only regret about the evening, he said, was seeing “empty seats” that could have been filled by a family that could benefit from the event. He added that the “stats are staggering, alcohol alone is the No. 1 cause of death among teenagers.”
Cali said the candlelight vigil was “all about promoting smart decisions and to spread awareness to our peers and our community about impaired driving and how dangerous it is.”
“Manalapan High School’s vigil is a powerful event highlighting the dangers of impaired driving. SADD is a tremendous program within all of the district’s schools. The program’s peer education really hits home with students, with many taking pledges to avoid destructive decisions such as texting while driving,” Sampson said.
According to the SADD website, the organization was founded as Students Against Driving Drunk in 1981 and has grown to become the nation’s leading peer-to-peer youth education and prevention organization with thousands of chapters in middle schools, high schools and colleges.
In 1997, in response to requests from students, SADD expanded its mission and name and now sponsors chapters called Students Against Destructive Decisions.
Cali said her involvement with SADD has made her think a lot about how one decision can affect an individual’s future.
“Kids think nothing could happen to them,” she said.
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