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 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.

Gunner is a senior at Kennett High School.  He was a Youth Ambassador for the 2015-2016 school year.  Gunner has been active in a variety of activities at his school, including student council where he served as a class officer, National Honor Society where he served as Vice President his senior year, Key Club, where he served as Sergeant at Arms his senior year, and Family, Career, Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), where he served as President his senior year.

Gunner is active in athletics through wrestling and golf.  He also participates in Quiz Bowl and Future Teachers of America, as well as serving on the Student Relations Board as a liaison between students, faculty, and the school board.

Gunner shares his passion for prevention in the short essay below:

The Mississippi River
By: Gunner Smith

An anonymous individual once said, “Destroy what destroys you.” Drug prevention is important to me and my community because I want to destroy what has destroyed me and so many other people. Drugs have destroyed lives, relationships, and so much more; therefore, it is up to the future generation to destroy the use of drugs. A world without drugs would be a happier world which is why I have decided to take part in this war against drugs. Every person that uses their words to speak out against the use of drugs and alcohol has picked up their lethal weapon and are ready to destroy what has destroyed them.

I picked up my weapon as soon as I could learn what drugs were. Before I was born, my Grandfather died of lung cancer. My parents once explained tobacco products to me while driving over the Mississippi River. They told me that drugs and tobacco products are somewhat like the Mississippi River’s current. The very best swimmers might not make it across that river if they chose to dive in, and it can become very difficult to rescue the folks that are caught in the river’s current. I have took these words very seriously all of my life.  Many high school students seem to make these types of mistakes young in their lives, unaware that the past helps to shape the future.

With these words of advice, I went on to speak about drug, alcohol, and tobacco awareness at a very young age.  In fifth grade, the D.A.R.E program educated me on the harms of these poisons, and that’s when I started to write my feelings down on paper using my parents’ advice.  My essay won out of my entire grade. As I read my paper on the stage of my high school’s auditorium, I became happy that my words and feelings were good enough to read before people.  In that essay, I also wrote about a promise to never be drowned by a current, and I have kept that promise today.  This situation in fifth grade caused me to eventually join Smokebusters freshman year and Making Your Mark sophomore year to help my community out even more. As a Junior, I became a Missouri Youth Adult Alliance Ambassador. I received the opportunity to speak with legislators and use my lethal weapon to destroy what continues to destroy me.

I have so much appreciation for MYAA because it has brought me to discover seven other people that stand strong against a current. Together, MYAA is an infantry that seeks to destroy drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. We are equipped with lethal weaponry every time we speak, yet we ride on a life saving boat that seeks to help everyone that has been nearly destroyed.

Madeline is a senior at Eldon High School.  She was a MYAA Youth Ambassador in the 2014-2015 school year.  Madeline is active in her school’s student council, holding a leadership position every year of high school.  She is also a member of the National Honor Society, and she is active in athletics through basketball and track.

Madeline attended Missouri Girls State in 2016, and has been in the top 10% of her class academically every year in high school.

Drug and alcohol prevention is extremely important to Madeline because she has the effects of drugs and alcohol first hand with some of her friends. Madeline has seen the negative changes her friends have gone through. Being part of a program that helps students with these problems and being able to reach out to them on a peer level is extremely important to her because she wants to let students know that drinking and using drugs is not the only option. Working hard in school and trying to get a college education will help youth in the long run. Madeline enjoys being involved so that she can relay these important prevention messages to students who need to hear it. Having an awareness of drug and alcohol prevention in her community is especially important to help parents and caretakers know how to deal with these issues. A presence of this organization in my community will have an overall positive affect, creating a more productive, educated and well-rounded base for young adults to learn.

Morgan is a sophomore at Liberty North High School.  She is an active member of Youth With Vision, where she has participated in fundraisers, attended trainings, and networked with other teens.  Morgan founded her school’s Teaching and Reaching Youth (TRY) club, an organization that functions like a Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) group.

Morgan has been able to be involved a variety of activities through her prevention work.  She has traveled to Jefferson City, MO to visit with her state legislators, as well as attend the statewide Speak Hard Youth Conference.  Morgan has been active in the Tobacco 21 campaign in her community, as well as the Arrive Alive campaign.

Prevention is important to Morgan because she recognizes that it is not always a topic people talk about often.  Parents do not always know how to to talk to their teens, or the importance of doing so.  Many teens hear conflicting messages from celebrities, and it is important to provide them with healthy messaging.  Morgan wants to be a voice in her community on the importance of prevention, and how it can create stronger, safer communities.

Michelle is a junior at Marquette High School.  She is the founder and president of the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Chapter at Marquette High School.  She was awarded the 2016 Outstanding Youth Prevention Award and is the youth representative on the Executive Board of the Rockwood Drug Free Coalition.

Michelle has helped write and change substance use education and health class curriculum as the youth leader on the Continuous School Improvement Plan for the Rockwood Executive Director of Student Services.  She has also made presentations to the Rockwood Board of Education and Ellisville City County on prevention topics.

Drug and alcohol prevention is important to Michelle and her community for many reasons. She is very involved in prevention and believes the only way we can get rid of substance use problems is to stand up and advocate against it. There are so many people that are supportive of this cause that we could truly make a difference. Michelle would like to be a surgeon when she grows up, partially because all of her work with drug and alcohol prevention has showed her the severity of addiction and this disease and why we need more doctors in this world. Michelle believes that the best way to impact a community is to educate the community about the problem.

Hope is a junior at Morgan County R-II.  She is a member of the Morgan County CLEAR coalition, as well as Tobacco Free Tigers, where she was the top points winner for participation.  Hope is an active member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and is involved in regular seat belt checks with the organization.

Hope has been a member of her school’s volleyball team since the 7th grade, and she is a certified lifeguard.  She is also active in a variety of school clubs, including Fellowship for Christian Athletes, National Honor Society, Chamber Choir, Beta Club, where she is the historian.

The reason drug and alcohol prevention is so important to Hope is because of her concern for her community and the people who live in her county. Versailles is a very tight knit community and they all care very much about each other. The safety and health of the citizens depends on people who are willing to step up and be leaders in a variety of situations. Hope would like to be a positive example of living a healthy and positive life. If someone in her community has an alcohol or drug problem, Hope cares about their future and well-being. She does not want to just talk about making changes; she wants to be a part of making things better by serving as an ambassador for the youth of Missouri. Hope says that many people her age do not think their voices matter,  but she wants to be the one that shows them that you do not have to follow the crowd.  It is possible to be the one who stands up and makes a difference within a community. Drugs and alcohol can have such a lasting effect on people and their lifestyle, and she would love to have the opportunity to spread the word about drug and alcohol prevention.

Samantha is a senior at Calvary Lutheran High School.  She has been a member of the Student Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) since 2013, and held the role of President for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school year. She has also served as Red Ribbon Week Chair and the Suicide Prevention Week Chair. Samantha has also been active in Key Club since 2013, serving as the Vice President during the 2015-2016 school year.

Samantha volunteers in her community in a variety of roles, including with the American Red Cross, the Food Pantry, and the Calvary Lutheran Elementary School.  She is also active in athletics through soccer and track and field.

Drug and alcohol prevention is key to maintaining a healthy community. Substance abuse is something Samantha takes seriously and she tries her best to work towards its prevention. Drug and alcohol abuse is a problem, no matter who you are, where you are, or your age. We can work to limiting this problem and try our best to eliminate it in our communities. To do so it is important to promote prevention. Studies have shown that high quantities of alcohol and drugs lead to domestic violence. Samantha wants her community to be drug free and the abuse to stop. She believes this will create a better environment in my community and for the strength of her community to grow.

Hunter is a senior at Morgan County R-II.  She is involved in Tobacco Free, FCCLA, soccer, and her church’s youth group.  She enjoys her work in Tobacco Free because she feels like she is making a difference in the world.

Hunter also enjoys volunteering for a variety of causes in her community, including her church and Camp Wonderland.  She also coaches soccer for two soccer teams in the under 6 and under 11 age category.

Preventing drug and alcohol use is important to Hunter because she has seen the effects of substance use in her community. Through her work with her coalition and school groups, Hunter hopes to take a stand and show teens what happens if they start using substances now, and what their future can look like if they continue.

Hunter shares that when teens don’t do drugs or drink, they are able to make clearer decisions and feel better about themselves. They also live a longer and more healthy life. With making clearer decisions they are not putting other peoples lives at risk.