Quinton is a junior at Morgan County R-II. He is the president of the Versailles High School SADD chapter, a position he has held for the past 2 years. He is a good leader who shows responsibility and passion for what he believes in and does with this group. One of his greatest accomplishments has been recommending and implementing that his SADD Chapter hold a prevention day for students. This inaugural event had breakout sessions that youth were able to attend on a variety of prevention topics. He assisted with the prevention day last spring by presenting information to his peers on smokefree policies during a breakout session, assisting other guest speakers to their rooms, and knowing the routine for the day. This event was a huge success; one that is being repeated and enhanced at Versailles High School this spring and used by other coalitions since its inception. As a youth leader, Quinton has also attended CLEAR coalition meetings to assist with planning for future activities.
Dustin Price
Dustin is a senior at Lebanon High School. He is a school and community leader who is motivated to make Lebanon a better place. His hard work is an example to students and adults. His perception allows him to identify and address needs quickly. Dustin has been an active leader in Lebanon Positive Choices for three years. He has coordinated drinking and driving docudramas, bullying-prevention PSAs, and school assemblies.
Paige Maxwell
Paige is a senior at Lee’s Summit High School. She is a four-year member of Lee’s Summit CARES city-wide Youth Advisory Board (YAB), and a four-year member of her school-based ATOD prevention group called Tiger SMART. Through her work on the Youth Advisory Board, Paige has proven to be an excellent resource in the group’s efforts to advocate for healthy, drug-free lifestyles. When engaging her peers through the annual Celebrate Sober social media campaign, Paige’s coalition can count on her to have her finger on the pulse of the student body to guide the creation and implementation of the campaign. Paige is comfortable and competent in speaking publicly to community leaders. As a Youth Advisory Board member, she has spoken at our community marijuana forum, and represents YAB at numerous community events to promote their drug-free message.
Colby Kramer
Colby is a senior at Buffalo High School. He has been involved with the Tobacco Free Missouri Youth (TFMY) activities for the past two school years, and he is a current member of the Tobacco Free Missouri Youth Team. As a part of his TFMY activities Colby was involved in the filming of a video PSA, #servedsmokefree, that aired on KSPR 33 May 9-29, 2016. He was involved in the Clear MO Air Training in October 2016 and will be a part of the Kick Butts Day Rally at the Capitol in March 2017. Colby is also composing a new video PSA and story board to air on KSPR 33 in the spring of 2017. He will also be part of a group that will present to local city government about the absence of a city tobacco policy and his school board about the lack of enforcement of the school’s comprehensive tobacco free policy. Colby was a founding and faithful member of the newly formed coalition, Dallas County Live Well Alliance. The coalition meets bi-monthly, and Colby has been attending meetings for the past two school years. As a part of the coalition Colby was involved in designing educational materials for the Marijuana Prevention Grant the coalition received in last spring and rgw official logo for the Dallas County Live Well Alliance. Colby has also been involved in composing and presenting letters to local business leaders and community members to increase membership of the Dallas County Live Well Alliance.
Hope Heimsoth
Hope is a junior at Morgan County R-II High School. She is an outstanding prevention leader. Hope is a member of the Versailles High School SADD chapter. For two years she has served as the vice president of the group. She assisted with Prevention Day last spring by presenting smokefree information to her peers during a breakout session, guiding other guest speakers to their rooms, and knowing the routine for the day. This fall she helped to distribute red ribbons during red ribbon week and organized photo opportunities for the youth who dressed for each day’s theme.
At Versailles High School she has participated in Tobacco Free Youth team for two years. She attended the training, presented smokefree education to middle and high school youth and adult community groups, recorded public service announcements, read announcements about smokefree and tobacco risks at community events, and attended the statewide smokefree rally for Kick Butt’s Day. Additionally she collected signatures of support for smokefree policies at ballgames and the August Back to School event.
As a youth leader, she attended strategic planning to assist CLEAR coalition with the knowledge of their prevention areas of need and planning for future activities.
Samantha Gunn
Samantha is a senior at Calvary Lutheran High School. She implemented a Suicide Prevention Week the past two years. Last year, she organized a SADD Day; a half-day of prevention information and activities for the school because students were unable to attend Speak Hard, the state SADD conference. She has served as a MYAA Youth Ambassador for two years, her school’s SADD president this past year, and has overseen such projects as Red Ribbon Week and It Only Takes One. She has attended the last two Prevention Days as a youth representative where she was able to visit with her legislators.
Zachary Estes
Zachary is a freshman at Morgan County R-1. He has been a member of Tobacco Free Youth for two years. He also works with Morgan County CLEAR and has been a member of T.O.P. for 2 years. Zach is an outgoing, kind, and compassionate student. He is a positive influence to his peers and is always willing to help others. Zach has strong viewpoints on substance use is not afraid to vocalize this to others.
2017 Speak Hard Schedule of Events
To provide an opportunity for our youth to meet with their elected officials, we have changed up the schedule of Speak Hard. If your group does NOT plan to participate in the legislative visits, we will offer programing at the Capitol Plaza during that time. Please see the tentative schedule listed below.
HR6 (Missouri State Capitol Building) | Jefferson/Missouri/Capitol | Truman A | Truman B | Truman C | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
8:00am-8:30am | Registration (for legislative visits) | ||||
8:30am-10:00am | Legislative Visits (Arrive at Capitol Plaza Hotel by 10:20am.) | ||||
8:00am-9:00am | Registration (for those NOT visiting legislators). | ||||
8:45am-9:00am | Welcome | ||||
9:00am-10:15am | Super Session (for those NOT visiting with legislators.) | ||||
10:30am-11:30am | Keynote: Kyle Scheele | ||||
11:30pm-12:00pm | Lunch | ||||
12:00pm-12:30pm | Youth Award Ceremony | ||||
12:30pm-1:20pm | Substance Abuse Trends and the Effects on Our Country | Smart Plans, Smart Activities, Smart Choices | The Making of a Mock Accident-The Journey | ||
1:30pm-2:20pm | Play the Marijuana Jeopardy Game! | #ChallengeAccepted | Online Social Advocacy | ||
2:30pm | Evaluation and T-shirt dispersal |
Katie Wollard
Katie is a junior at Webster Groves High School. She has been active in HiSTEP since 2014. Katie is active in a variety of activities at her school, including serving as the Sophomore Class President, participating in student council and marching band, and serving as the International Club Vice President.
Katie is a certified peer mediator, and is a member of the Mary Queen of Peace Youth Group. She has attended the Camp WeeHaKee for Girls Leadership Academy for the last two summers.
Drug and alcohol prevention is something that is extremely important to Katie. She works with elementary students in her school district to help give them drug and alcohol prevention skills. She gives them skills not only for drug prevention but skills to help them in society. She teaches them about peer pressure, making good decisions, and being healthy. Katie would like to help spread the skills her group teaches younger students. She wants to make a difference in my community as much as possible. Katie has seen the effects of drug and alcohol abuse on people, families, and the city of St. Louis. She has seen the effects of drugs in some of the students in her school and she wants to take a step in helping wipe out drug abuse in schools. Katie has noticed the huge impact social media campaigns have had and she hopes to bring a greater awareness to drug and alcohol abuse through social media. Drugs and alcohol affect not only the person using but also the people around them. Helping people in her community really gives her joy and she feels that prevention programming I can really make a difference.
Abigail Ward
Abigail is a senior at Calvary Lutheran High School. She is active in her school’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapter as well as Council for Drug Free Youth. Abigail is active in her school’s theatre department, participating in two plays a year.
Abigail spends time volunteering in her community with her church, the Salvation Army, Behind the Badge, and Hawthorn Bank. She has been an Honor Roll student every year, and been accepted to Missouri Girls State.
From a young age, Abigail was always taught to “just say no” to drugs and alcohol. She has learned this from school, her parents, and also through Council for Drug Free Youth. Abigail has always believed that doing drugs and drinking alcohol was not the right thing to do, but some of her peers do not agree with her.
When Abigail was in the fifth grade, her class was educated about the dangers of drugs and alcohol through the D.A.R.E. program. When she was in the ninth grade, she was able to help educate sixth graders through U.P.L.I.F.T. Thinking back to her excitement as a D.A.R.E. student and also the excitement of the kids she taught to learn how to “just say no,” Abigail believes that instilling the facts that drugs and alcohol can have a negative impact on your life in these kids is the most important thing.
Abigail believes that it is better to teach the kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol when they are younger and more willing to learn. Not only will they be more excited, but they have a greater probability of using that knowledge later in life. Most high school kids will ignore what they are being taught because they either know what is going to be said, or they don’t care. If high school kids are doing recreational drug or alcohol use, then they aren’t going to change their ways because an adult says it is dangerous. That’s why she believes it is better to focus on the younger children, especially since they are the next generation that will guide the future of our societies.
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