Nett Lake, Minnesota (Akiing)

More than 500 methamphetamine labs were discovered in Minnesota in 2003 and 75 percent of them were located in rural areas. That’s why Teresa Strong, the superintendent of Nett Lake Public School, decided to take action, empowering the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa to fight against the deadly drug with a forceful weapon: education.

Because her efforts went above and beyond the call of duty, the Bush Administration’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is now honoring Strong. She received a certificate from the ONDCP for her outstanding work in educating the community on the dangers of drugs Oct. 27 as well as a letter of commendation from President George W. Bush.

Strong deserves the national award for a number of reasons, state health officials say. For one, the superintendent responded to meth proactively, working to educate and prevent the drug usage as much as possible.

“In many Minnesota communities, people are just so burdened and so busy that we really didn’t see a lot of action on meth until things became out of hand,” said Deborah Durkin, an environmental scientist with the Minnesota Department of Health who nominated Strong for the award. “Teresa is one who said, ‘We’re not waiting for the bad stuff to happen.’”

Strong was also remarkably thorough in her efforts, Durkin said. “Teresa didn’t just host one community event. She didn’t just put up a poster and say, ‘Now you are informed.’ She not only had a number of events for the school and the Nett Lake community, but she held events for the broader community.”

Strong formed a Crime Stoppers program, creating a hotline that community members can use to report crimes, including suspected drug use or sales. She also hosted multiple community forums where a variety of experts explained how meth affects the brain and why it is so addictive. Recovering meth addicts spoke, too, giving powerful personal testimony to the devastating impact of the drug. Attendance of the forums was high; more than 200 people attended one meeting at Nett Lake Public School in February.

In addition, Strong created a Bois Forte Meth Task Force that has collaboratively tackled the problem of meth use. It all adds up to an impressive resume, Durkin said. “At 32, Teresa has accomplished things that many people don’t in their whole life.”