In a dimly lit room tucked away off one of the hallways at Fort Vancouver High School, two students filled small decorated pots with planting soil and tulip bulbs. They were planting promises, too.
“It’s a promise to yourself that you’re going to make good decisions,” said student Vanessa Silva-Rodriguez, who joined the Great Prevention Club this year.
The Great Prevention Club has existed for about a decade at Fort Vancouver. Members learn and teach other students and community members about intervention and prevention methods when it comes to substance use.
“All of the things that we do to reduce substance use in our prevention efforts also reduce the impact of mental health,” said club adviser Alizz Quarles, “and the impact of academic failure, the impact of violence, the impact of unwanted pregnancy in teenage years and a lot of different things.”
Quarles, an intervention and prevention specialist, has led the club for two years.
Last school year, the club implemented the Opiate Overdose Response Education project. Members trained about 370 students on how to recognize the signs of an overdose and administer Narcan, an emergency treatment for an opioid overdose or suspected overdose.
Quarles said the Great Prevention Club plans to train new club members and community members this year on how to administer Narcan, also known by the generic name, naloxone. She also wants the club to connect with those who run My Friends Are Not For Sale, an organization that engages in education and awareness around reducing adolescent human trafficking.
Another event in the works is going to take place at one of Vancouver’s middle schools to talk about substance use when transitioning from middle to high school.
“It’s important for them to be educated about that stuff and to know that there is a community where you can go and help spread awareness,” said student Emaunie Bush, a third-year club member.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Quarles and the students discussed their winter event, Cocoa & Caring. The club is still working out a few details, but the hope is to offer cups filled with to-go cocoa packets and cards with ways to access resources, including a suicide prevention hotline. They’ll be given to students headed out on winter break “because everyone’s home life is different,” Quarles said.
The Great Prevention Club also hosts lunch events with a colorful wheel with numbers on each color. Students line up and whatever the number they spin comes with a question, such as “What’s the Good Samaritan law?” Club members will provide the answer if the student doesn’t know along with information on the club and how to join it.
Washington’s 911 Good Samaritan Overdose Law pertains to individuals who call 911, attempting to save the life of someone who has overdosed on drugs. Those who call won’t get in trouble for breaking drug laws.
At any time during the school year, students can join the club.
“We’re not like the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. We’re not here to scare you off. We’re here to spread awareness,” said student Zamyrah Scott, a third-year club member.
The group introduced school spirit days for Red Ribbon Week, during which students dressed up in a different theme each day. The nationally celebrated week, which ran from Oct. 23-31, demonstrates the importance of staying drug-free and making healthy decisions.
“If people don’t know what they can do and how they can respond, our club would like to give them an opportunity to empower and educate them on what they can do,” Quarles said. “All lives are valuable.”
