school classrooms and playgrounds are safe from it. In the conclusion of a two-part series, Royal Gazette reporter Libby Francis looks at some of the efforts being made to reduce the problem. Some names have been changed and schools have not been identified.

Fights at one Bermuda secondary school are usually about drugs -- especially if the drugs which have been sold are fake.

But school officials, who admit the institution has a drugs problem, say that an active anti-drugs campaign is having some effect.

Fights at the school still consist of slaps and punches -- and on occasion a bike helmet -- and not knives or other weapons.

Sally, 16, said most fights that occur on the school's grounds are about, "who is the biggest and toughest or they fight about drugs, especially when someone gives you drugs that are bad like if it's grass or parsley instead of weed''.

"But there aren't a lot of fights over drugs,'' she said. "Sometimes the guys that sell weed to students are outsiders and sometimes they are students.

"A lot of people lie about smoking weed. They like to boast and say `I got charged this weekend'.'' On the issue of drug testing in the school, Karen, 14, and a 16-year-old Michael said they felt drug testing in the school was "silly''.

"They should go deeper into it. The principal and teachers should not just judge a student who they think is doing drugs on whether he sleeps in class or cheats during a test,'' said Michael.

"And urine tests are not accurate. I have heard guys say they would get someone who didn't do drugs to urinate in the cup.'' Karen said she felt there should be more activities for young people because "they are getting bored which causes them to want to experience different things such as drugs''. The principal of the school said most students are confronted when there is evidence that they are using drugs.

"We look for physical evidence, and or behaviour attitude changes. We have a responsibility to help students who have been abusing drugs.

"There is not a lot of drug abuse that goes on in this school, not now. We hope that students have some level of understanding that drugs can't help them in the long term.'' At another secondary school, students felt that due to the strict discipline policies of their school there were no problems with violence or drug use that they knew of.

Sarah, 16, said: "The school has strict rules and the teachers do enforce them.'' Helen, 13, said she thought the school was sheltered from certain problems that other schools might have.

And a 14-year-old student said the only types of fights that occur in her class were between cliques but they only consisted of an argument, weapons were never used.

"The fights that we do have are not serious, there is more verbal abuse because we are all girls.'' A 16 year-old student added: "Honestly, this is an idealistic, perfect school. Nothing like violence and drugs happens here.'' And a 13-year-old student described the school as stepping onto the other side of a wall where reality is on one side and their school is on the other.

Another 13-year-old student said: "The teachers always know where you are and what you are doing.'' In agreement the 16-year-old student said: "The bottom line is that you are brought up in this school to have respect for teachers, each other and the education you are receiving.'' Even at Dellwood Primary, year seven students told of having experienced run-ins with drug dealers, the smoking of marijuana and peer pressure to try drugs, along with the occasional fight.

And the group interviewed by The Royal Gazette , which included 11-and 12 year-olds, agreed that some students often encouraged other students to smoke marijuana on the school field.

Jevon Benjamin, 12, said: "Some students in year six were caught smoking on the field by the trees and they were trying to encourage other students to join. They would tell us to come on because everyone else was doing it.

"One boy even told me to try it because my little brother was most likely doing it, but I knew he wasn't.

"And just before Christmas a couple of Northlands students were caught trying to sell drugs to Dellwood students.'' Students at Dellwood Primary have since started the Just Say No to Drugs campaign where students work hard to support the club encouraging other students to stay away from drugs.

Benjamin also took pride in the fact that his little brother was the president of the club.

"The kids who were smoking marijuana have started to clean up because now teachers are paying more attention to us. They are really trying to keep us away from drugs and protect us from getting involved with that. Teachers make those that do it feel good so they will stop.'' On violence in the school, 11-year-old Karina Smith said students fight because "they just feel like it or they don't know how else to express themselves''.

The group said the life skills class, peer mediation, and teachers being involved with students helped reduce the problems that occur.

"We can talk with the teachers at this school like friends, and we can tell them our problems.'' At another primary school, year seven students said drugs were not really a problem at their school.

An 11-year-old student said there were a lot of fights at the school but none that were out of the ordinary.

"People are provoked to fight and sometimes the fights are bloody.

Sometimes your friends encourage you to fight.''