High school to host talk on social pressures

Parents and students from Thurston Middle School and Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar and Dana Hills high schools are invited to learn about social pressures and underage drinking at an information session Thursday.

Laguna Beach High will host “Navigating the Teen Years — Social Pressures, Issues and Underage Drinking” from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m.

Panelists from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Orange County Department of Education, along with a Superior Court judge, will speak about current laws and trends facing teenagers.

“I can not overstate the importance of educating parents on how to communicate with their children about drinking alcohol,” Bob Billinger, Laguna Beach High assistant principal, said in a news release. “Spending time as a family discussing healthy choices and alternatives as well as explaining the dangers of alcohol on the brain at a young age can help significantly reduce the chance of their children’s underage drinking.”

Students and parents will attend separate sessions beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the school library and Artists Theatre. Then both groups will attend a presentation by Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard Lee.

Laguna Beach High is at 625 Park Ave.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Billinger at [email protected].

—Bryce Alderton

Twitter: @AldertonBryce