Partnerships strengthen activities to prevent underage drinking in NE Seattle

A recent KOMO story highlights how Nathan Hale High School, Raiders Against Destructive Decisions, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving collaborated to educate parents about how to prevent underage drinking.

Nathan Hale parent education night: Talking to kids about drugs

Raiders Against Destructive Decisions present: 

A town hall meeting for parents: 
A discussion on why, when and how to talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol!

Monday, March 24, 2014

7:00-8:30pm

Nathan Hale High School Commons (lunch room)

                            

Agenda

• 7:00-7:30 - Learn about what is happening in NE Seattle and Nathan Hale High School around drug and alcohol prevention
• 7:30-8:00 – Student- led WHY, WHEN and HOW to have the conversation with your teen.  
• 8:00-8:30 – MADD (Mothers against Drunk Drivers) speaker presents materials and tips on talking to your teen

Enjoy food, beverages, and prizes!  Leave with strategies and publications from students and MADD .

Discussion will be run by high school students for parents/guardians or anyone with a teenager in their life.  

2012 Healthy Youth Survey results: Nathan Hale High School

In October 2012, Washington State public school students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 took the Healthy Youth Survey.  Yesterday I posted Eckstein Middle School substance use results.  Below are results from Nathan Hale High School.

Dark blue column = Nathan Hale students
Light blue column = WA State average

Complete results for Nathan Hale High School are posted on the Prevention WINS website. 

Teens, Marijuana & Alcohol: Setting the Framework for Healthy Communication

Marijuana businesses will open within the next year.  Grocery stores now sell spirits.

In 2010, 68% of Seattle 10^th graders reported that they had never tried marijuana and 78% reported that they do not currently use marijuana.

What can parents do to support most Seattle students who do not use drugs but live in communities where alcohol and marijuana are more available?

Teens, Marijuana & Alcohol: Setting the Framework for Healthy Communication

Tuesday, January 15, 7-8:30p.m.

Nathan Hale High School Commons

Hosted by Raiders Against Destructive Decisions (RADD)

Thursday, January 17, 7-8:30p.m.

Roosevelt High School Library

Hosted by the Roosevelt High School PTSA

Please use the south entrance along NE 66^th Street.

Both of these events are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact the Prevention WINS coordinator.

Nathan Hale High School Town Hall Meeting on preventing youth drug & alcohol use

For parents: A discussion on why, when and how to talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
7-8:45 p.m.
Nathan Hale High School

Sponsored and hosted by Raiders Against Destructive Decisions, a student-run organization promoting healthy choices in high school.

Underage drinking rates decline thanks to community-wide prevention activities

More than 50 people attended Monday's Celebrate Healthy Youth at Nathan Hale High School and learned about how the community in northeast Seattle came together to reduce underage drinking rates.  Following are links to media coverage of the event. 

How alcohol use was cut at two Seattle schools (Seattle Times)

Finding: North Seattle teens are drinking less (KOMO)

How can a community reduce underage drinking rates?

You are invited to . . .

 
View the Celebrate Healthy Youth flyer for more information.

The majority of Nathan Hale High School students do not drink alcohol or use marijuana

In an earlier post, I reported that underage drinking rates among northeast Seattle high school students (Nathan Hale and Roosevelt High Schools) have decreased significantly since 2006.  Below are two charts that show the substance abuse rates among Nathan Hale 10th and 12th grade students between 2006-10.

Among Nathan Hale sophomores, use of all substances and binge drinking declined since 2006.  All substance abuse (except for the abuse of prescription painkillers) declined since 2008 among Hale seniors.

All rates are now below 50% . . . this means that the marjority of Hale students do not drink alcohol or use marijuana.   

Source: Washington State Healthy Youth Survey

Navigating the Teens Years at NHHS

The Nathan Hale High School PTSA is hosting a forum for parents . . .

Navigating the Teen Years
February 24, 2010
Nathan Hale High School

6:15-7:00 p.m
-- Information booths including representatives from RADD (Raiders Against Destructive Decisions); Hale counselors; Teen Health Center; and Prevention Works in Seattle.

7:00 p.m.
-- Principal Jill Hudson will present Healthy Youth Survey data
-- Jamie Weber from the SAMA Foundation will talk about substance abuse and the teen brain, prevention, and treatment
-- Marion Howard from the Hale counseling center will discuss types of assistance available at the school

Football players wearing red ribbons

If you are going to the football game between Nathan Hale (NHHS) and Ingraham High Schools on Thursday, you will notice that the NHHS football players are wearing red ribbons.

Raiders Against Destructive Decisions (RADD), the substance abuse prevention club at NHHS, is observing Red Ribbon Week this week. The purpose of Red Ribbon Week is to increase awareness about the harmful effects of underage drinking and substance abuse.

In addition to football game activities, RADD is sponsoring school-wide announcements, lunch-time activities, and contests. RADD and their activities are part of a community-wide effort to raise awareness of the high underage drinking rates in northeast Seattle and to work towards reducing those rates.

CADCA Leadership Forum

Last week, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) hosted its 19th annual Leadership Forum in the Washington, DC area. Prevention Works In Seattle/NE Seattle Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking sent nine Nathan Hale High School students and two coalition members/chaperones to the conference.

One of the most exciting and important parts of the forum is Capitol Hill Day, when coalitions meet with their federal representatives. The Seattle delegation, including the Hale students, met with Representative Jim McDermott and his Chief of Staff, Mike DeCesare. We spoke about the drug and alcohol issues affecting our communities and how Rep. McDermott can best support our work. Here's a photo of our Hale group with Rep. McDermott:

Among the topics we discussed is the need for continued federal funding of drug/alcohol prevention programs in Seattle. Many of our prevention programs, including coalitions, rely on funds from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

The entire Washington State delegation (80+ of us!) met with Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, but I'll blog about that later.