The Story Behind The Poster

By Hannah Boufford

The newest social norms poster, featuring a dancing mouse,

original one that was chosen, the statistics got more recognition
has stirred up conversation about the meaning for weeks at LHS around the school the longer the poster is up. As conversation

The gray-and-pink poster captures attention with its
on the design of the poster grew, eventually people started payoriginal tagline and picture of a mouse. The top of the poster
ing attention to the statistic as well.
reads Mice Be Like followed with the social norms statis
People stopped and said Mice be like? What the hell
tic: 70% of LHS students choose to be alcohol free. The gray
does that mean? but then I asked them Did you read the rest of
mouse, pointing towards the statistic, appears to be dancing,
it? and they were like What? Hell no I didnt read the statisand is illustrated with its
tic... Well, actually, yeah I
long tail curving around
did because I had to stop
the statistic, highlighting
and read Mice Be Like,
the point of the poster. The
so yeah I did read it! so
poster hangs in most hallthats what intention was,
ways and LHS classrooms,
Mr. Kulikowski said.
allowing for visibility

The new statistic
between staff and students.
gave a 7 percent drop of
The poster and its design
students who are alcocomes up in conversation
hol-free at Libertyville.
daily at LHS and discussion
While Mr. Kulikowski
has ranged from confusion
could not give any definite
to various theories. Accordanswer as to why the numing to Student Assistance
ber might have dropped,
Program (SAP) coordinator
he suggested it may have
Damian Kulikowski, that
been due to the time that
is exactly what the posters
the alcohol and drug usage
were meant to do.
survey was administered.
Photo by Hannah Boufford Two years ago,

The purpose of
our social norms campaign The Mice be like poster, seen in both hallways and classrooms, promotes awareness of statistics
we took that test in Febis to generate discussion
ruary...before the dance,
regarding student alcohol consumption.
among our students and
the February winter
staff, specifically about the
dance, and then it just so
perception of alcohol use and what the data tells us about our
happened that two years later, when we took it last year, we had
students actual use, Mr. Kulikowski conveyed.
it scheduled for after the dance, he commented. So that could

As for the design of the poster, its creation began at the be one answer, we really dont know.
Lake County Health Department, according to Mr. Kulikowski.

The question used for the posters asks students how
Through their grant with LHS, the departments staff creates
many of them have used drugs or had alcohol in the last 30
around 12 possible posters for the school. Then, through randays, which could quite possibly be affected by the dance and
domized focus groups, LHS students chose their favorites and
its after-parties. However, the statistic still seems too high to
voted for the ones they prefer. The high school then discards
many students at Libertyville.
six of the designs and keeps the others to post throughout the

I think thats too high, sophomore Beth Vogg
school year. The Lake County Health Department makes poster answered when asked if the statistic was more accurate in her
for other schools as well as LHS, including Vernon Hills, Lake
opinion. 77 percent was definitely not right, [but] 70... I think
Zurich, and Mundelein.
still more people drink.

While the gray poster with pink writing is the only

Emma Garcia, also a sophomore at LHS, agreed with
version known to most LHS students, the tagline was originally Vogg, adding that she thought the drop may have been from
different when it was picked in a focus group. However, due
people being more honest on the survey when it was adminto a reference to partying, it was changed by the Lake County
istered. Though neither fully understood the poster, both were
staff, per request of the LHS administration. Mr. Kulikowski
extremely familiar with the poster in question and had paid
declined to release the original tagline.
attention to the statistics, accomplishing the main goal of the

Though the tagline Mice Be Like may not be the
social norms campaign.

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