A Powerful

Speaker

To the Editor:

On behalf of the Newtown Parent Connection, I would like to applaud the Reed PTA and the Newtown Middle School PTA and especially their respective presidents, Marina Moscovici and Anna Wiedemann, for their efforts in bringing in nationally recognized speaker Ginger Katz to the Reed School in June to speak to the students on substance abuse.

In addition to being a member of the board of directors of the Parent Connection, I am also a parent of a fifth-grader at Reed. I am thrilled that my child will have the opportunity to hear Ginger’s experience with losing her 20-year-old son to a drug overdose several years ago. I have heard Ginger speak and what she has to say is quite powerful. The Parent Connection feels that children in this age group may benefit the most from a presentation like Ginger’s since they may be more amenable to hearing and processing the information than perhaps older children. It is our hope that the students will be moved by Ginger’s story and decide not to experiment with substances.

Thank you.

Temple Whitaker

15 Alder Lane, Sandy Hook        May 26, 2006