Great Prevention Club expands substance use prevention at Fort Vancouver High School

In a dimly lit room tucked away in one of the hallways of Fort Vancouver High School, two students filled small decorated pots with plant soil and tulip bulbs. They also planted promises.

“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 been in existence at Fort Vancouver for about a decade. Members learn and educate other students and community members about intervention and prevention methods when it comes to substance use.

“All the things we do to reduce substance use in our prevention efforts also reduce the impact of mental health,” says club advisor Alizz Quarles, “and the impact of academic failure, the impact of violence, the impact of unwanted pregnancies 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 approximately 370 students 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 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 works to educate and raise awareness about reducing human trafficking among adolescents.

Another event in the works will take place at one of Vancouver’s high schools to talk about substance use in the transition from middle school to high school.

“It’s important that they are informed about things like that and know that there is a community you can go to and help spread awareness,” said student Emaunie Bush, a third-year club member.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Quarles and the students discussed their winter event Cocoa & Caring. The club is still working out some details, but the hope is to offer cups filled with grab-and-go cocoa packets and cards with ways to access resources, including a suicide prevention hotline. They are given to students going on winter vacation “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 number they dial is prompted with a question, such as, “What is the Good Samaritan law?” Club members will provide the answer if the student does not know, along with information about the club and how to join.

Washington’s 911 Good Samaritan Overdose Law refers to individuals who call 911 in an attempt to save the life of someone who has overdosed on drugs. Those who call don’t get in trouble for breaking drug laws.

Students can join the club at any time during the school year.

“We are not like the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. We’re not here to scare you. We are here to raise awareness,” said student Zamyrah Scott, a third-year club member.

The group introduced school spirit days for Red Ribbon Week, with students dressing up in a different theme each day. The nationally celebrated week, which ran from October 23 to 31, shows the importance of staying drug-free and making healthy decisions.

“When people don’t know what they can do and how they can respond, our club would like to give them the opportunity to empower and educate them on what they can do,” Quarles said. “All lives are valuable.”