Former Celtic Chris Herren speaks to RHS students

By Veritas Staff

May 20, 2024

ROCKLAND- On Wednesday, May 15, the entire student body of Rockland High School attended a presentation by Chris Herren.

Herren, who grew up in Fall River and was a star high school basketball player, eventually played for the Celtics before losing his career to drug and alcohol abuse. 

He now runs treatment centers and travels around talking to students and adults about the impact of drug use.

Herren focused not only on his history of drug and alcohol abuse but also on how it affected his family and teammates in his college and professional basketball career.

Principal Dr. John Harrison said he collaborated with Mrs. Freea Leahy, the adjustment counselor at Rockland Public School to plan the event to promote substance abuse awareness and prevention, wellness, and good decision-making. 

“Mrs. Leahy has formed valuable partnerships within the community, one of which is the Brockton Area Prevention Collaborate. The collaborative has a relationship with Mr. Herren and they funded the whole thing,” Dr. Harrison said.

Students were focused on both the portion of the documentary video about Herren’s life and his talk in the auditorium. 

Senior Nayla Chaves said, “I thought it was really good. It was very touching.”

Herren focused his attention on the students and their families, reminding them of the consequences their actions have on parents and siblings.

Senior Ashley Miller said,  “I thought it was amazing the way he presented the entire conversation and went about it, it really touched me. When he was talking about younger siblings and parents it made me think about what I put them through before I came here. I really enjoyed it.”

Some students were surprised by the topics, especially those who had learned about Herren’s life at Rogers Middle School. 

Senior Jade Sforza said, “It was a lot deeper than what I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be a bit more on the lighter side. It got into a little bit hard spots.”

After listening to Herren, students thought about their own decisions and lives, and each had their message to take away.

Chaves said, “That if you aren’t happy with how things are going, then it’s up to you to change it.”

Sforza thought, “That none of this is a joke and even though you think you might not need any of this further down the road, he reassures you that it is something you have to pay attention to.” 

There was no talk-back session with Herren so students were not able to ask him anything, but they were left with some questions.

Chaves would ask, “What made you do it? What made you sober up? What was the motivation to keep you staying clean?”

Miller would want to know “If his kids went down a bad path how would he feel about that as a parent?”

Senior Abbie Loughlin said the presentation had a different effect on her not that she’s older and more mature. 

“I had a better understanding of the severity of the topic,” she said.

This was not the first time Herren spoke at Rockland High, and students and staff agree that his story is a timeless one that can be valuable for students to hear about during their high school years.