Last modified: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 2:22 AM EDT KP fighting underage drinking BY STEPHEN PETERSON SUN CHRONICLE STAFF WRENTHAM - With the death last fall of King Philip student Taylor Meyer following an underage drinking party, and several police raids on parties in Plainville, Norfolk and Wrentham over the course of the year, KP found itself as a sort of poster child for underage drinking. On Monday night, the regional school committee sought ways to tackle that reputation head on, by implementing a program specifically designed to combat underage alcohol use. The comprehensive wellness program will involve the middle and high school students, and also key on other risky behaviors such as tobacco use and bullying, high school Assistant Principal Rob Wargo told school committee members. Wargo said a survey found 71 percent of high school students don't drink but the 29 percent who do give a perception most students drink. "We have numbers as to what 7- to 12th-grade kids are doing, what they are engaging in," Wargo said. "The goal is to change student behavior. It is a really fairly simple approach that involves finding out the norms. "People's behaviors are based on myths. We are trying to dispel these myths," Wargo said. "The kids think everyone drinks. We'll show them the misconceptions. They think everyone uses tobacco." The 71 percent of students who don't drink will be highlighted, he added. "We'll show doing the right thing is the norm," Wargo said. "Kids engaging in risky behavior is not the cool thing to do anymore." A survey will be sent to students the third week of October to gauge how they feel about their fellow students. School committee Vice Chairwoman Margaret Billian expressed concern with the minority of students dealing in risky behavior. "The ones that need help are the ones we need to be there for," Billian said. "There will be strategies to meet their needs," Wargo said, adding counselors will assist that group of pupils. The wellness program is modeled on a program called Social Norm Theory developed by a professor, H. Wesley Perkins, from Hobart and Will Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y. Perkins conducted a workshop at King Philip this summer. The wellness committee plans to meet more regularly this year compared to last year, Wargo said. Its meetings are the first Thursday of the month. The program follows other efforts by the committee to reduce the number of KP district students who do drink. After Meyer's death, the school invited speakers in to talk about the dangers of drinking. School officials also held informational sessions for parents to learn to look for signs of underage drinking as well as where to get help.