Red Watch Band and Active Minds Club members from the Massapequa High School-Ames Campus participated in the first “Voices Guiding Choices” Prevention Summit at Adelphi University with the goal of learning optimal ways to integrate substance abuse prevention services into schools. The students met with staff and students from other Long Island school districts to discuss their current school experiences, best practices and ideas on new prevention innovations.
“The Massapequa School District is at the forefront of offering prevention programs to students,” said Kimberley Hession, Ames Campus social worker. “This year, over 70 students in grades 9-12 were trained through the Red Watch Band program, a Stony Brook University-developed school initiative designed to help bystanders learn to effectively respond to alcohol-related emergencies.”
To date, under the advisement of Massapequa High School social worker Joanne Waters and Hession, the district has trained more than 300 students in the program. In addition, Hession and the Ames students spearheaded the development of a Massapequa chapter of the Active Minds Club, a nationwide mental health awareness club. Primarily, student members learn the importance of mental health issues and the connections they have to substance abuse among young people. Hession and Waters are also active members of the Massapequa Takes Action (MTA) Coalition which supports prevention efforts within the school and community.
