Rich Barnes shared his very personal and difficult life story with our Sophomores today in the hope of helping students avoid the tragic road he followed from the first sip of alcohol at the age of ten to the present time. Students’ comments included “Mr. Barnes was charismatic” and “He talked about life in a way that everyone can relate to.’
To a group of over 200 students who remained attentive for two hours, Rich recalled his painful memories of his parents’ divorce when he was seven and the numbing effects that alcohol provided through his school years. He was open and honest with our students as he recalled details about missed athletic opportunities during high school, driving while drunk and getting arrested five times in one year when he was 17 years old. He shared that his involvement with cocaine started 21 years of misery which he details during his presentation.
Rich has been sober and drug free for over ten years and talks about the rewards and blessings of sobriety. He speaks at schools whenever possible because he believes that is will all be worthwhile if he can reach and help even one student.
Not only did our students listen for over an hour and a half but they had numerous thoughtful questions – over two dozen students wanted more insight into Rich’s struggles with alcohol and drugs and his ultimate triumph. They wanted to know why he finally stopped, what he will tell his own children when they get older, what they should say to family members and friends who are experiencing problems with substance abuse and whether they should contact him. Rich was candid while answering all the above questions and it was clear that the students appreciated his sincere responses.
From an administrator’s viewpoint, Rich was wonderful. We had a captive group of students for two hours who needed to be “entertained” and warned about the dangers of drugs and asked Rich when he arrived to speak for the entire time. He agreed and was able to hold interest with his compelling story and never complained about our last minute request. In addition, Rich has a more interesting and compelling story than some of our other past speakers who were much more costly! What more could a school administrator ask for?
Written by:
Susan Griffen and Ed Bednarik
Assistant Principals
Brookfield High School
Brookfield, CT 06804