Dear Middle School Principal,

Recently, your school received the 2008 Dangers of Underage Drinking calendar. Designed by New Jersey middle school students, the calendar is part of a unique, on-going initiative designed to encourage parents and children to work together to develop messages illustrating the consequences of underage drinking.

Sponsored by the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Office of the Attorney General and the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, this year's program is open to all New Jersey students in 5^th, 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grades. We ask that you share the information on participating in this initiative with interested teachers in your school. To assist you in this, you may also share the following web site with the educators in your school: www.drugfreenj.org. Information on the program can be downloaded by both teachers and students interested in participating in this effort. There is no limit to how many classes may enter the competition.

If we are to succeed in our efforts to combat the abuse of alcohol by our young people, we must recognize that it is imperative that the process of parental involvement and talking to our children start at an early age. Now in its sixth year, this effort has helped us accomplish that by having both parent and child play an equal part in raising awareness about the dangers of underage drinking.

All entries should be submitted by each school to the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey no later than May, 30, 2008.

Twelve entries will ultimately be chosen from all of the submissions and featured in the 2009 Dangers of Underage Drinking calendar. In addition, a grand-prize winning entry will be displayed on the calendar's cover and on billboards throughout the state.

If you have any questions, please contact Angela Conover at the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey at 973-467-2100, ext. 25 or at conover@drugfreenj.org.

Thank you for your assistance with this important effort. We look forward to seeing your school's entries.