South HS Students: Only 2 Will Do (VIDEO)

It was cold on Thursday and as many students went home in anticipation of early dismissal or, better yet, canceled school on Friday for the storm, a group of six Clarkstown South High School students took to the streets accompanied by several Clarkstown Police officers and CANDLE representatives.

• Erika Stopler, senior
• Matt Burrill, senior
• Taylor O’Sullivan, senior
• Casie Keegan, senior
• Samantha Rokicsak, junior
• Jack Kelly, junior

They visited several establishments in Clarkstown to push for a new initiative called "Only 2 Will Do," which looks to stop underage alcohol sales.

The program will aim to have retailers require two forms of identification when selling alcohol to young people. Throughout February, students, police officers and other advocates will go to locations where alcohol is sold and ask retailers to participate in the program. Included in that will be asking the retailers to display posters and handouts about the program, which were created by students. 

They split up into two vans to cover more ground and asked businesses to participate and allow them to place stickers, designed by the students, on visible locations, such as by the cash register, refridgerator doors, front door, alcohol displays, garbage can, etc ... The Town of Clarkstown provided “legal age of purchase” calendars to place at registers as well.

Clarkstown Town Supervisor Alex Gromack and Clarkstown Police Chief Michael Sullivan teamed up earlier this week with Students against Destructive Decisions (SADD), local school districts, the Clarkstown Coalition for Youth and CANDLE (Community Awareness Network for a Drug-free Life and Environment) for this initiative.

“With the cooperation and participation of our local retailers, this initiative underscores the commitment of our community to limit the access, use and abuse of alcoholic beverages by our youth, thereby avoiding the tragic consequences of underage drinking,” Chief Sullivan said in a release about the program.