Knightlife, BSM’s club dedicated to promoting chemical free lifestyles among students, organized their ninth annual Chemical Health Week for the week of November 17 through 21.

Chemical Health Week was put on by Knightlife. with support from the City of St. Louis Park and other surrounding cities. This week is common among other high schools in the nation with similar activities being conducted and the same message spread; however, BSM makes their week unique. The club hopes that by putting on events it will reduce the usage of chemicals within the student body.

The club educated students about the woes of using alcohol, drugs, and tobacco through posters hung around the school, suckers with inspirational messages, a “white-out” in remembrance of those who have died chemical-related deaths, ribbons to signify opposition to drinking and driving, and wearing the club shirts. “Knightlife is a very big group, so we are already split into eight groups. Each group is assigned one day to be in charge of. It’s really a divide and conquer effort, so we can make sure that every day is organized and special,” senior Maureen Desmond, president of Knightlife, said.

Knightlife has proceeded to educate students about the importance of a chemical-free lifestyle throughout the week and will continue the remainder of the school year.

“The messages we’re sending about the dangers of substance use and the importance of chemical-free living are very important for anyone to hear. I think students don’t realize the real, long-term harm chemical-use can have, and if our messages make them think twice before using, that could save their life or somebody else’s. However, this celebration of chemical-free living is especially important in a high school setting because today’s culture makes it seem normal for high school students to use drugs and alcohol,” Desmond said.