Project SUCCESS™
brings prevention education and awareness to Middletown
Project
SUCCESS™, a national school-based program that focuses
on reducing the factors that put students at risk for
substance abuse, is providing prevention education,
individual and group counseling, school-wide awareness,
outreach activities, and parent programs to secondary
Middletown students and their families.
Implemented in the fall of 2007, as
part of the Safe
Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) grant, the program
provides substance abuse prevention and early
intervention services to students at both middle
schools
and at the high school.
Students in the seventh grade and ninth grade are taking
part in the Project SUCCESS ™ Prevention Education
Series, which presents four specific topics to students.
The lessons educate students about the harmful
consequences of using alcohol and other drugs, along with
teaching skills for resisting peer pressure, responding
to conflicts, managing anger, and avoiding and coping
with stressful situations. In addition to the
educational series, school-wide awareness activities are
underway to help change students’ attitudes in regard to
substance abuse. Activities also increase school bonding
through universal prevention programs, such as: Students
Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Alcohol Awareness
Month, and the National Red Ribbon
Campaign.
Each secondary school has a
Student Assistance Counselor,
an employee of The Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council (ADAC)
of Orange County, which is available to assist
Middletown students,
parents, faculty, and staff. Counselors are prepared to
discuss any issue or situation a student feels places
them at risk for substance abuse. All
Student Assistance Counselors
can schedule parent/family meetings, provide
information on substance abuse issues, and refer
students and/or parents for additional community
services.
For more information on
Project SUCCESS™.
Program Supervisor:
LaToya J. Johnson, Middletown High School,
(845) 326-1800
Student Assistance
Counselors:
Desiree LoBianco, Middletown High School, (845) 326- 1625;
Laurie Oshinsky, Twin Towers Middle School,
(845) 341-5451;
and Jessica Perez, Monhagen Middle School, (845) 346-4811.
Life Skills® Training (LST) Teacher:
Margarita Santana
