Community workshop

COVENTRY- The Coventry High School and the Capt. Nathan Hale School joint PTO will be holding a community workshop, by Dr. Patrick DeChello of D & S Associates, on Tuesday, Feb. 12 in the Library Media Center beginning at 6:30 p.m. Dr. DeChello will present to the community on the topic, The Developing Brain: Adolescence and Vulnerability to Drug Abuse and Mental Illness. Recent research demonstrates that the adolescent brain goes through many structural and functional changes making teens very vulnerable to drug use and mental illness. Brain development affects judgment, learning, mood, and many other areas necessary for normal functioning. This presentation will review the basic workings of the brain and adolescent development to include discussion of the consequences of arrested development. Dr. DeChello will examine the effects of alcohol and drugs on the brain and its functioning to include consideration of how drugs may result in mental illness and understanding how someone becomes addicted. The public is cordially invited to attend this informative evening session. Refreshments will be served. For further information, please contact Gary Cesca, School Social Worker at Coventry High School, at 860-742-7346, ext. 148.