It is more important than ever to teach your child never to ride with an impaired driver. The Governors Highway Safety Association and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility reported in April 2017, that for the first time, drugged driving now surpasses drunken driving among drivers killed in crashes. And every day, over 27 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. Learn more.
Vaping, e-cigs, hookah sticks, Juul – lots of different names but all are risky for youth. Young people who “vape” are much more likely to progress to traditional cigarette use. Many vape products include nicotine and other harmful chemicals. The batteries in these devices can explode, causing injury. Get educated.
For more information, visit Power to the Parent.
“The goal of the project was to demonstrate that many of our teens are choosing to make healthy and responsible choices as well as bring awareness to unhealthy and risky decision-making that can take place,” said Jennifer Nunziato, student assistance counselor and advisor of the Positive Impact Club.
As the student assistance counselor, Nunziato works to enhance positive and healthy decision-making, as well as reduce the factors that put students at risk for alcohol and other drug use. During the campaign, she and her students collected more than 300 pledges from students, who pledged to treat others with compassion, empathy and kindness, to never drink and drive, and to make healthy choices when spending time with their peers.
In exchange for a pledge, the students received a green Irvington bulldog rally towel, sponsored by the Irvington About Safe Kids coalition. iASK is a coalition that represents all sectors of the community — parents, students, educators, law enforcement officials, medical professionals, business people and more — and works to motivate youth to make healthy, happy and responsible decisions.
Source: Irvington UFSD
iASK-CAB welcomed approximately 125 attendees to its September 27th presentation – Drugs & Alcohol Use: An Irvington Perspective. This event was the first of several community conversations that will be presented this school year. The presentation is now available for viewing and we hope you will add your voice to the important conversation about the health and safety of our youth.
Allyson Felix & Tanya Hunt
iASK-CAB Co-Chairs
Homecoming is an annual celebration. But each year on Homecoming, teens can be exposed to drinking, pre-gaming, parties and pep rallies – and the pressure to fit in.
Learn how to talk to your teen about growing up safely by visiting Power to the Parent for more information.
Over the summer, seven students from Irvington High School attended a Youth 2 Youth Leadership Conference in New England. One of our students, Natalie K., wanted to share her experience.
I loved my experience at Youth 2 Youth (Y2Y) and am already looking forward to hopefully attending again next year! Y2Y was a brand new experience for me and at first it was overwhelming seeing how many people had already been coming to the conference for so many years. But the setup of the day and the activities immediately allowed for me to make amazing friends who truly helped make my experience even better. From having family group sessions where we got to know about 13 other kids well, to energizers that helped get the energy flowing in the room for the day. Everything was well planned, fun and happy.
The conference was a great combination of fun and learning without sometimes even realizing it. I had no idea what to expect at first and getting there I immediately felt such a positive feeling. People would just come up and start talking to me or introducing themselves which is something I wasn’t so used to but it gave me such a happy feeling throughout the whole conference. Everyone was there for almost all the same reasons and having that made the experience and environment very positive.
Besides meeting people and having fun, we all sat through some very emotional family group sessions and listened to incredibly powerful and moving speakers throughout the conference. One speaker, Cara Filler, left many in the room in tears and I constantly think about what she had told us relating to the effects of distracted driving and decision making. Her speech was incredibly emotional but also very informative as it made most people realize how much you can learn from others experiences I would love for her to come to Irvington as she was incredibly impactful and an excellent speaker. The other speakers at the conference were also great but I left the conference with different thinking and feelings after Cara and I still think about what she shares with us everyday.
Family group allowed for me to have 13 people that I knew and could always rely on while at the conference and from that I ended up making a good friend who then introduced me to more people. I liked that they had teenagers who were either the same age as some of us or older as youth staff because that gave a more welcoming and understanding feeling for some people when talking in family groups.
We had chosen workshops in the beginning of our arrival and I was so shocked to see how many options there were. All 4 of my workshops (2 each day) were different from each other and I came out of each having a different understanding about the topic. Whether it was talking about the effects of drugs on a person and their options, talking about stress, peer pressure, and being a team leader each had a well thought out plan, activity and/or discussion.
We met up twice with people from Westchester who were also at the conference and all contributed our ideas and listened to what others were hoping to bring back to their school. We came up with some great ideas for the Rivertown’s and also specifically for Irvington.
Everyone there was super nice and friendly and it was truly an awesome experience that I have already shared with some of my friends and family. It was a very busy 4 days and I am so glad I was able to attend and learn so much in that time frame. Thank you so much for all your support and for making it possible for us to go to this amazing conference.
It’s that time of year again and we can hear the school bells ringing! It can be hard to adjust from the dog days of summer to the busy and fast pace of the school year. Here are nine tips to get back into the school mode and start this year off right!
Tip #1: Have the Proper School Supplies that you need for your classes!
During the first day of class most teachers will tell you everything they require for their courses. Make sure that you get the specified supplies so that you are able to keep up with the class work and stay organized.
Tip #2: Get an Agenda!
Between taking test, doing home work, attending activities, and school events it can be really hard to keep track of everything. By keeping an updated agenda you can better manage your time and know what you have to accomplish.
Tip #3: Know your Course Syllabus
Knowing your class schedule is so important for being successful in the course your taking. Teachers will typical hand out your syllabus in class or post it online. Knowing when you have papers and projects due is so important for passing the course and keeping up your grades.
Tip #4: Do Not Procrastinate
This is something that we have all been guilty of in the past and have learned the stressful repercussions. A habit is created in three weeks so if you study for every course your taking daily in 21 days that will be a new habit for you. Dedicating a little bit of time everyday to the courses you are taking is definitely going to positively impact your grades and make you a better student!
Tip #5: Know What is Expected of You
Pay attention to what the teacher is saying about the workload of the class and what they are hoping for you to get out of it. Teacher want you to succeed and will provide you with what you need to do to thrive. Always remember that communicating with your teachers is key for understanding their expectations.
Tip #6: Get Involved
Getting involved with your school community is great because you can pursue your interest and meet peers who have the same and similar interest as you. Many studies have shown that students who are involved in sports and school activities are able to achieve higher GPA’s.
Tip #7: Learn What Type of Leaner You Are
There are three main types of learning styles which are auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Knowing what type of leaner you are is going to help you be a better student and have better studying habits.When you are able to determine the type of learning style that is best for you, you will find better results when you are studying and it will result in higher test scores!
Tip #8: List of academic goals
Write out a list of goals that you want to achieve for the upcoming school year! Do you want to make the lead role in the play, get that varsity spot on the basket ball team, improve your grades? When you write down every goal you are able to plan and realize what you need to do to prepare for them. Having that list can be a driving and motivating force to help you work to achieve those goals.
Tip #9: Refusal Skills
You need ready-made comebacks to have in your pocket when friends and peers start putting on the pressure about trying drugs and/or alcohol. Power to the Parent shares these four ways to say “no”:
Every new school year is a opportunity for a fresh start, new friends, and to make it count. You have the potential to make this year one of the best ones yet!
Source: Gabrielle Flank, Huffington Post
