It was ten years ago when I did a solo 500-mile run through Alaska in 18 days to promote youth health and fitness. Alaska is where I attended school while growing up, and I graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School in 1983. In 2009, I was in Juneau to begin a 500-mile run through the state to encourage young people to be more active and health conscious. I was interviewed by KTOO radio in Juneau and had initiated numerous communications with the administrators and physical education staff of Juneau-Douglas High School asking to be able to give a presentation to students -- as I had done at numerous schools around the United States. I didn't receive a response to any of my messages, and on the afternoon that I ran past the high school I had graduated from, the P.E. teacher was outside with his students and completely ignored me as I ran just a few feet past him pushing my support stroller with a sign noting that I was running across Alaska. Clearly, my former high school had no interest in having me speak to the students, even though I was the president of The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation; had been a corporate-sponsored ultra-marathon runner; was a father of four children; had run solo all the way across America; and, had been featured in numerous media stories around the country. In short, Juneau-Douglas High School turned its back on me 26 years after I left its hallways.
The same year that I did my 500-mile Alaska run, the Juneau School District felt the need to implement random drug testing of student athletes. It is still going on today. The drug testing started because of an increase of drug use among young people in Juneau. Yet, the high school didn't want an alumnus to give a presentation to its students about the importance of health, fitness and nutrition! Since 2009, the Juneau School District has spent anywhere from $11,000 to $46,000 a year on drug tests.
The drug testing process is as follows: A student will get pulled out of class to take a urine test, and then a technician analyzes it immediately. They test for a range of substances, including cocaine, marijuana, opiates, oxycontin, tobacco and alcohol. Depending on budget constraints, as much as 15 percent of each sports roster is randomly tested, once a week and only while in season. If the test is positive, parents are notified and the student is asked to produce another sample, which is sent out to a lab for confirmation. Every week the testing service sends the school a report of positive results. The consequences for a confirmed positive test include suspension from sports as well as an online course about the effects of substance abuse. Suspensions from sports range from 10 days to a full year depending on how many times the student has been caught with a positive test.
In June 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court broadened the authority of public schools to test students for illegal drugs. The court ruled to allow random drug tests for all middle and high school students participating in competitive extracurricular activities. In 2018, areas surrounding Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau, Alaska were designated as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
It has now been 36 years since I graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School. I haven't been back there since 2009, and my days of visiting are done. As the old saying goes, you can't go home again.
From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek
Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:
- United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
- Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
- Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
- Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
- The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
- Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
- Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
- Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
- Some Cycling Moments From The Past
