Pomeroy Washington
Carolina is a student leader in Pirate Partners, a substance use prevention club in Pomeroy Washington.
Today we had a guest speaker at our high school. Previously met him at another conference and he talked to us about drug prevention and we learned a lot of facts and we had a whole lot of fun.
Pirate Partners is a drug prevention club here at the school and I feel like taking some of these drug prevention facts back to Pirate Partners, we can all learn things and we can use some of like the mechanisms or teaching strategies that Jake used in the presentation to kind of teach our own stuff because we’re all about drug prevention. I feel like this presentation kind of helped us understand a little bit more on how to do it.
I think we learned a lot of facts because some of the facts like we all didn’t know and I feel like we learned a lot of teaching strategies like some things that I can take back and do myself for our Pirate Partners Club and I think it was just really fun for us to have a guest speaker like that interactive. It was pretty fun. I think people should attend the Vive18 assembly because I think it was very fun and motivational.
I think I learned a whole lot even though I’ve seen it before. I kind of regained all of that back today and I feel like we could all learn a lot from the presentation and I feel like if you missed out you missed out on a great opportunity because this taught me a lot of stuff.
Asotin, Washington
Brendan Johnson, principal of Sotin High School in Asotin, Washington.
We were lucky to have Vive 18 with us today. They made students think, made students yell and scream, it was interactive, and most of all the message was exactly what they needed to hear.
We have a group called EPIC, which is an anti-drug, among other things, mental health group here in the LC Valley, which we’re a part of with Lewis and Clarkston and Asotin. And they sponsored having Vive 18, and so no cost to the school. And then it was a superb presentation on top of that.
I was actually thinking about that in the stands while I watched and you know whether he affects one student or 50, it was worth having. The message is received and sometimes you don’t know when it’s actually the assembly but it’s afterwards when they reflect on it looking back.
Clarkston, Washington
Lauren is an SAP from the ESD in Washington state. That’s a student assistance professional in prevention and intervention. She brought Jake White from Vive18 to speak at some of their schools. “I really enjoy the way that Jake interacts with the students and I think that there’s a focus on getting the energy up and getting a lot of participation and speaking in ways that the students can really connect to. It feels more like a conversation versus a lecture, which I think really helps the students to connect. I would tell them that the students love it, they really get into it and that’s really what the goal is, right, is to get that feedback and I would really encourage them to do it because you know, it’s all, I mean, you can see that the students really respond to it and I think that’s what matters most, think one of the biggest problems that I see is there’s, there’s definitely in a rural community, everyone goes camping in the summertime and there is a norm around just bringing a cooler of beer. And part of the fun of camping is drinking. A lot of parents even believe that, a lot of community members, it’s part of the culture. It’s one thing that if you have such a positive connection to like, I’m gonna go camping in, drink and have a party. That’s I think one of the things that is just always at the forefront. Like that’s just a positive connection to alcohol I think that’s here. So that’s one thing that we talk about a lot. We spoke to all of the students at once, and I really hope that it just gave them an opportunity to think about how it might affect their peers, or how most of their peers aren’t drinking or using drugs, and what the potential is for their futures without those things too. Thank you for coming to visit us. I could see that everyone was really into it. I love the energy that Jake brings, and I think the students really enjoyed it. So just thanks for coming.”
Clarkston, Washington
Jill Taylor is the social worker at Lincoln Middle School in Clarkston, Washington. “Today our students got a visit from Vive18 and we had an assembly and heard a great message about life choices and skill sets versus shortcuts and it was really great. I think it was really great that there was life experiences involved in the message today and that it was really interactive with the students. It was very cool to hear someone play the drums right in front of us.” The unique thing about having Vive18 is that it’s not the typical just say no, or recovery story. They show students that it’s possible to have fun and cope with stress without using substances. And their life reflects it.
Clarkston, Washington
Toby Valdez is the assistant principal at Lincoln Middle School in Clarkston, Washington. “So we had the Epic Coalition contacted us and said we had Vive 18 was going to come and present and talk to kids about drug prevention and drug use and some strategies to cope with it. And I think it went awesome. So like what I grew up with was DARE. And so it was always just about the say no, say no, say no. Vive 18 seemed a little more friendlier and it gave them more strategies to use and a little more insight. I think kids are shocked by some of the information being given today. So I think that helped them out and helped him relate a little bit more. think his story really helped out with the kids. I’d say it’s absolutely worth it to get them in there and hear that different stuff and give them those strategies to use. And he’s very exciting to watch. So got the kids amped up… There is a lot of pressure in the Valley for that kind of thing and going on and about the middle school age. I’m hoping they take away a lot of those strategies that they discuss and a lot of them I think you could watch and see they were relating it to what’s happened in their own lives. So I’m hoping they can see that and be able to cope with what’s going on and prevent future things from happening and becoming addicted.”
Bridgeport, Washington
Principal at Bridgeport Middle School in Washington shares her experience with hosting Jake White from Vive18 to speak about vaping, weed and alcohol use to her middle school students. She enjoyed the age appropriate activities to help them protect their goals and still get the short term things they want like fun, friends and adventure without using drugs or alcohol. She mentioned that the presentation was short (within 1 hour) and effective, which she liked because it made her staff feel like they still prioritized the teaching schedule.
