October 26, 2018  was the “Eyes Wide Open” assembly. Many students were in attendance in the school auditorium. Students were loud and lively in the seats as they waited for things to start. Soon after, the lights went low and the first presentation began. From there, things started to get serious.

The presentation showed students from Lindenhurst High School reenacting the experience of a party. It showed substances being used, such as alcohol, weed, even as far as cocaine. While there were some comedic elements in the video, there was an obvious message trying to be sent. The video showed many different phases of substance use. It showed a student fighting while drunk, behavior change, and distancing. This was real enough..but the moments after that was done were the most hard hitting.

After the video was done, the students began to hear a voice from around the auditorium. The voice then began to tell a story. The voice represented a teenage boy who lost his life early due to drugs. He started out with one drug, and it continued on. The voice eventually stopped, and the room was steady. Lights came on and a woman appeared on stage. She introduced herself as his mother, and suddenly you could feel the tension in the room.

The mother went on to talk about the situation and how she was affected by it. She warned the Lindy students about how quickly drugs can take control of a life. The students were all ears. The mother began to explain how hard it was to wake up everyday without her son, and how she didn’t want any other parent going through what she did. She asked how many kids in the auditorium had experienced someone close to them dying due to drugs and many students could relate to her pain. This further proved how everyone can struggle with addiction, and how it affects all of us.

Elizabeth Johansson, President of Lindy Cares, gave a few statements about how she feels about the movement. She states, “People shouldn’t be afraid to speak up; there is always someone you can talk to.” She then goes on to talk about the drug problem.”Opioid addiction IS a real problem.” Elizabeth mentions how they used laced weed in the presentation due to the current lacing epidemic affecting communities. There are many ways drugs can be tampered with this day and age.

Eyes Wide Open was a success. It had one goal: Send a message. It did just that. Many students were affected by the time everything was over. Lindy is doing a big part in trying to keep the community safe. Cheers to a drug free Lindenhurst.