We’re taking Healthy Lamoille Valley’s Prevention Celebration on the road!
May is a big month for us. Not only is May Vermont Youth Appreciation Month and the month of National Prevention Week (May 11-17th) but it’s also time for our annual community Prevention Celebration! For the last two years the Healthy Lamoille Valley community has come together every May to celebrate a year of successful youth substance use prevention projects and award HLV’s Prevention Honors. This year we are taking our annual prevention celebration on the road! Our team will be traveling through the Lamoille Valley region to visit projects, celebrate successes and share them out with the community. Stay tuned as we recognize the impact of shared work and celebrate our prevention honorees along the way!
Stop 1: Green Mountain Tech
This year we were excited to connect with the Allied Health and Business Programs (Including FBLA students in other programs). Projects included helping us plan and implement Healthy Lamoille Valley’s Fall Kickoff Event, prepping our Vape Quit Kits, and creating Vape Awareness PSAs!
Stop 2: Peoples Academy Middle Level
At PAML we met with the two middle school OVX (Our Voices Exposed) groups. These students have helped educate and support their classmates with expletory involvement throughout the year including trips to the OVX Summit in Burlington and Rally on the Statehouse steps. These students collected a record number of cigarette butts within walking distance to PA for Green Up Day, drawing awareness to the environmental impacts of substance use. Middle Level students are also working on the Vape Awareness PSA Projects. At this stop we also recognized their advisor, SAP Counselor Margo Warden with Healthy Lamoille Valley’s highest honor – the Michelle Salvador Prevention Award for creating positive changes that will withstand the test of time. Margo has introduced innovative events and programs that allow students space to think about what it means to care for others and themselves. She was also instrumental in our coalition for bringing an early excitement for the new core measures survey which allows us to annually collect student data and provide it back to the schools in real time. We wish Margo all the best as she steps into semi-retirement!
Stop 3: Hyde Park Elementary
There’s always something exciting happening at HPES! The school is divided up into 5 multiage houses with sixth graders applying to be house captains. These students go through a leadership development program, putting caring into active leadership practice. They serve as role models for the younger students and plan events for their whole school and community! This group of students met with Coalition Coordinator Jessica Bickford to help plan Healthy Lamoille Valley’s Fall Kickoff Event and Legislative Breakfast and then facilitated the ice breaker activity. Additionally they participated in other community service projects throughout the year including HLV’s PSA project. While at HPES we also recognized our Educator of the Year Adam Banks. Adam has worked with us over the years to improve our Refusal Skills Workshop for 6th graders which Youth Coordinator Carrie Patterson is delivering to over 20 classrooms in April and May this year. Adam has implemented Stanford’s You and Me Together Vape Free Curriculum, brought in outside speakers, and worked with his students to create Vape Awareness Posters and participate in our Vape PSA Project. Adam is also implementing the TimeWise Curriculum.
Stop 4: Lamoille Union Middle School
The Lamoille North Youth Coalition meets most weeks as a Lunch Bunch. These students are an energetic group of students who care for their community. We got to join them for lunch as they did the first showing of their Healthy Lamoille Valley Vape Awareness PSA. It was fun to watch them see the completed version for the first time! This year’s projects have included Red Ribbon Week Activities and Kindness Week. These students also attended the State OVX Summit and Statehouse Rally! Thank you for making LUMS a better place!
Stop 5: Hazen Union High School
We celebrated the students and teachers at Hazen’s Recipe for Human Connection Class. This highly interactive learning opportunity leads students to action within the Hardwick Community and beyond! During our visit students were making tasty treats to share with the community. Their monthly lunches serve as a welcoming gathering space for community members across the lifespan and walks of life. This project was funded in part through a Northeast Vermont Prevention Consortium subgrant.
Prevention Honors in the Community!
We Card Because We Care Program Participants
We also presented Prevention Honors to Commodities Natural Market, Johnson General Store, The Cupboard Deli & Bakery, and VVeeds for their partnership in developing our new We Card Because We Care resource for clerks at 21+ substance retailers and making a meaningful contribution to the health and well-being of our community by promoting consistent age verification and helping prevent youth access to age-restricted products. Thank you for your leadership and commitment to prevention!
Power Play Sports
We awarded a Prevention Honor to Power Play Sports for its ongoing support of the Lamoille Area Coaches Collaborative. Through its partnership and sponsorship of the updated Coaches Handbook reprint, Power Play Sports is helping equip coaches with tools to foster positive youth development, create supportive team environments, and strengthen the connections that help young people thrive. We are grateful for their investment in our youth and our community.
We also presented a Prevention Honor to Dave McCallister for his work as our fearless Coalition Steering Team chair!