Joliet High School students invade liqour stores arem with stickers
Austin Gutierrez and Joshua George Joliet Central High School students participated in a nationwide event called Sticker Shock Day which is sponsored by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission.
The stickers, bright yellow in color, warn people that giving alchohol to minors is illegal. The stickers are placed in liquor stores by the high students hoping to increase awareness of alcohol consumption by minors.
Joshua hopes that peopel are shocked by the stickers. "That's the reaction we want. We want to show people that there are teens out there who don't want do alcohol and want to prevent other teens from doing alcohol."
The students from Joliet Central spent Thursday morning visting about 10 liquor stores placing the stickers on windows, and on cooler doors inside the stores. The owners of the stores agreed to participate in the program
Stephanie Sather, 17, a senior at Joliet central said she had fun with the event but knew it had a purpose. "I think it's a great thing," Saither said. "One customer looked at us like we were crazy. But I've know some people who have been in the car when they were drinking. So if I can help anyone not do it I'll be happy.
The program coordinator or Joliet Central, Mark Peterson, said Sticker Shock Day kicks off a month long alcohol awareness month. According to Peterson, kids believe that everyone drinks and do drugs, when that's simply not true. Peterson says that according to statistics more kids do not do drugs or drink than kids who do.
Joliet West High junior Rodney Coooper 16, believes that the stickers will remind people that they are breaking the law when they buy alcohol for minors or serve alcohol to minors.
According to Cooper, kids need to be reminded of the importance of stopping underage drinking and he believes the stickers are effective to make merchants and their customers aware that kids that do consume alcohol are annoying to those kids who do not.
