Every high school in Orange County needs a Mike Darnold to fight substance abuse

When you meet with Mike Darnold to discuss his work, expect distractions.

interrupting telephone conversations; a phone call he has to make to order five pizzas; In his office at Dana Hill High School, students and staff are poking their heads with questions for the drug intervention specialist.

But if you are a student and need help, have a problem, or need someone to talk to, Darnold will give you his full attention.

He would much rather do his job than talk about it.

He doesn't mince his words: “I'm not looking for publicity.”

“I just love children,” he says. “The most important thing is to be there for them – and to give the parents some relief.”

For example, he recently searched for a student whose mother was in prison. He asked if he could help in any way. She told him she had to read a short story to prepare for class the next day. So he helped her read for the next 90 minutes.

She asked him, “Don’t you have anything better to do than this?”

He told her the most important thing he could do now was to help her.

For the past 15 years, Darnold's mission and purpose has been to keep Dana Hills students away from drugs and alcohol and to provide opportunities for extracurricular activities. While he works outside of high school, his position is funded by the city of Dana Point. It's a rare collaboration that Darnold appreciates.

And while drug abuse among teens has declined, the fentanyl outbreak has changed Darnold's job.

“We used to teach, 'Don't get addicted,'” he says. “Now we tell students, 'Don't take a pill.' “If you put it in your mouth, you could die.'” A few shots of fentanyl can be fatal.

At the height of the crisis in 2021 and 2022, five students died from accidental fentanyl overdoses. Three thought they were taking Xanax, one was taking Percocet and the other Darnold doesn't remember. Another Dana Point teenager could have died after taking a few pills, but an adult administered the life-saving Narcan to revive him from the deadly synthetic opioid.

Quarterly rates of unintentional drug overdose deaths among teens ages 15 to 19 remained elevated well into 2022, according to an analysis of CDC and census data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

A recent study by Rehab.com showed that while only a small percentage of 12- to 17-year-olds used drugs (7.7 percent), a high percentage of this age group visited emergency rooms (52 percent) or were admitted to rehab centers (53 percent). ) because of her drug use. According to the study, these percentages were higher than any other age group. using the most recent 2022 data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, CDC and Department of Justice.

Darnold's work has intensified, warning students and parents about the impending danger of pill-popping.

But a lot of his work also involves keeping students busy: he oversees after-school programs, service projects, student clubs and a summer camp. He is not qualified to treat substance abuse, but he does refer students to counseling and treatment programs.

Save Our Students (SOS) is one of the student clubs that Darnold oversees.

Betsy Bustos, a junior at Dana Hills and SOS vice president for two years, said students respect Darnold “and know that he is willing to listen and help anyone in need.”

She says SOS involves students in community service, such as senior dinners, Halloween and Easter events, movies in the park, summer concerts and the annual Dana Point Festival of Whales. She says, “Every time we do an event, students ask if they can help with the next one.”

SOS promotes “having fun without doing drugs,” she says. This way, students can spend time with friends without parents having to worry.

She says that through SOS and Darnold's mentoring, she developed communication, listening, interpersonal and, most importantly, leadership skills.

Darnold works in his school office Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., but is available 24 hours a day to any of the 1,700 Dana Hills students who have his cell phone number.

Outside of work hours, he also takes students to AA meetings early on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and on Thursday evenings. He meets with students who are suspended from school. He teaches parenting classes on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. He organizes beach parties, bowling and movie nights, and volunteer activities for students. He conducts an orientation session for employees at the beginning of the year on medication and intervention trends. And he doesn't take the summer off.

For an 81-year-old, this is a full-time job. But when you mention that most men his age are retired and playing golf while he's stressed, he immediately cuts you off and says, “It's not stressful, it's fun.”

The former Fullerton police officer, business owner and recovering addict of 44 years says he values the opportunity to serve and likes to go to bed at night tired knowing he made a difference that day.

He also thinks about the students he looks after: “A tired child is a good child,” he says. He works to ensure that students stay active in sports, clubs and their church and help others.

Among the volunteer opportunities he sets up for students is a senior dance, where students not only dance with seniors, but also serve a meal and do all the prep and cleanup work.

In addition to keeping students from getting bored, he says, “they find that it feels good to serve others.”

Darnold advises parents not to control their teenagers, but to “control their stuff.” He teaches consequences instead of punishment. “Love is unconditional,” he says, “but trust has to be earned.”

He suggests that parents put their phones away at night “so they can sleep.”

Capt. Todd Hylton, chief of the Dana Point Police Department through the Orange County Sheriff's Department, believes Darnold's Parent Project class is making a difference.

“Mike's empathy and understanding of the difficulties parents face raising children in a world full of social media and peer influence gives parents tools to improve relationships with their children as they move into adulthood says Captain Hylton. “The countless hours he spends as a mentor. The collaboration between students and parents is just great.”

Darnold believes social media has increased addiction and drug use among teenagers. He works with Orange County-based cybersafetycop.com, founded by retired OC Sheriff's Deputy Clayton Cranford to teach parents how to monitor social media and phones.

Narcan, a brand name for naloxone, is another tool in Darnold's toolkit to protect students from drugs. He offers the medication used to combat opioid overdoses free of charge to everyone.

Darnold releases Narcan from the Harm Reduction Institute in Santa Ana. Emily Pomerantz, the institute's program manager, offers training and Narcan for free.

She says Darnold was the only official who worked with schools “who reached out to us.”

“We’re excited to help him help others,” she said.

Every high school in Orange County needs a Mike Darnold. The city of Dana Point and Dana Hills High School have formed a rare alliance proposing a plan to combat teen drug use.

Darnold is the founder of a school for alcoholics and the Early Intervention Team, a nonprofit alcohol and other drug education program designed to educate and support troubled youth and families throughout Orange County.

Darnold founded the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Camp. in Idyllwild in 1993. The camp has served over 3,000 students from 84 high schools in Southern California.

Darnold lives in San Juan Capistrano with his wife Nancy. In his free time, he enjoys traveling to take care of his grandson Sam Darnold Minnesota Vikings quarterback.

Paul Danison is a veteran journalist who has worked as an editor at the Orange County Register for nearly 23 years. Danison now works as a freelance writer, editor and consultant.

The opinions expressed in community opinion posts belong to the authors and not to Voice of OC.

Voice of OC is interested in hearing different perspectives and voices. If you would like to comment on this or any other topic, please contact us e-mail [email protected].

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