Recently a student came to me and shared an inspiring story. This young man lives in a neighborhood where many people use drugs. The kids in the area view drug use as the norm. The student approached me and said his brother has been trying to get him to use marijuana. I asked him what he does and he says he tries some of the things he learned in Project ALERT like "give an alternative". He also said he sometimes has to "stand up to pressure" and it has worked so far. After praising and encouraging him, I walked away thinking all the teaching will be worth it if this one young man breaks the family cycle and stays drug free! Thank you Project ALERT for powerful teaching tools!
Cheryl Godwin
Prevention Services Coordinator
Gallipolis City School District
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It was a great experience to teach the Project ALERT curriculum. The students always enjoyed sharing stories and watching the videos. At first the 7th graders were a little skeptical about the program. Some even said to me: "Why do I need to know about this, I already know everything about drugs!" But by the end of the program, the students shared the information that they learned with each other. Their commitments to a healthy lifestyle were supported with statistics of the effects of drugs on the body. I was so proud of the choices they made. I think this program really has an impact on young adults. The best thing about it is that I don't have to tell them: "drugs are bad, don't do them" instead they figure that out on their own by participating in the activities and classroom discussions.
Enye Zuniga
Science Teacher
Tucson USD
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Our campus recently had a serious wake up call when a student brought prescription drugs from home to sell on campus. We had 10 students very sick and lucky they had not died. Our school engaged in a school-wide (6-8) implementation of the Project ALERT Core and Booster Lessons. The students from my classes decided to build a bulletin display in our main building. They decided to let go of the "elephant in the room" and openly express strategies to resist peer pressures. The "Ahhh Haaa" moment came when so many of the students reflected that most kids want to resist temptations- but they needed to be ready with a strategy! Everyday there are students standing in front of the display with friends or alone reviewing and renewing their commitment to resist drugs, tobacco and alcohol.
Priscilla Robinson
Science Teacher
Martinez USD
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I teach 6th grade Health and I have been using Project ALERT since September of the 2009-10 school year. This is my first year teaching in the middle school and Project ALERT has saved my life. Our text books for this elective course are outdated, they are from the 90's and due to budget cuts, I will not be able to update them. I use Project ALERT to enhance the curriculum and the kids just eat it up. They come in daily asking if we are going to see a video or do skits. My students from last semester have informed my students from this semester of the fun that they had in my class with Project ALERT. My students remind other students in all forms of classroom discussions about saying, "someone I know or I know someone who...", so I don't even have to remind them. The students look forward to group activities, Project ALERT myths vs. facts, the games and just the great discussions that we have. I love giving the assignments for the parents and students to do together and I have gotten great feedback from the parents. The parents are glad to see that their children are learning the information at school and that it will help them make better choices. Parents are glad to have the door of communication opened for them on this issue. My students are excited that mom and dad get homework, and they think it is fun to see what they will answer and who knows more. I am a true user and supporter of this program, and I absolutely love using it. Thanks for creating something that both my students and I look forward to each week.
Spring DuRose
Health Teacher
Monrovia USD
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I have been using the Project ALERT material for the past five years as a middle school Science teacher. My kids ask a lot of questions and your videos help to answer them. The biggest one is "do I have to use drugs to be cool?" What they have learned is that it is OK not to use them.
Randy Fenwick
Science Teacher
Santa Ana USD
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I had one 8th grader make a speech after receiving her certificate of completion. She stated she knew the effects of using marijuana and alcohol were bad but did not understand how bad it was. She thanked me for coming to the school and teaching her what she did not know. She stated she shares the information with the people in her home and extended family. The young student is very active in her church and is a successful high school student.
Marlo R Schurz
Prevention Specialist II
Gila River Indian Community
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In my experience with Project ALERT, I went into the elementary and middle schools and taught your program to students after school. Reflecting on the different situations that my students were involved in, I recall one in particular...a 6th grader whose father was a chain smoker and the young man was very concerned about his father's health. But, because of the young man's culture, he did not feel it was his place to tell his father not to smoke. During the time he attended my group, he learned some of the effects that nicotine could have on the human body. The group was given handouts and made collages using magazines depicting advertisements for cigarettes and the warnings of smoking cigarettes. The collages also included pictures of the effects of nicotine; yellow teeth, lung damage, lung diseases and the expense of smoking. This young man would take these things home and show them to his family, including his father...one in particular was a booklet that showed the different stages of lung cancer. The young man came to group one afternoon and shared that his father had agreed to look at the booklet and was surprised at what he learned about the effects of nicotine. The young man went on to say that he noticed that gradually his father was smoking less and less. He felt very good about this because he did not have to push this onto his father, he only shared the information with him. When we had our graduation at the end of our program (which included parents attending the last session, sharing in refreshments and group participants receiving their certificates), the mother of this young man confirmed that she too had noticed the change in her husband's smoking habits...he did not stop smoking completely, but slowed down some. It was a good feeling to know that my hard work had paid off. Even if it was just for one child, I know that all the other students learned something that will help them the rest of their lives.
Peggy Gutierrez
Prevention Specialist
A New Leaf
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It was just a little over a year ago that one of my students that I taught at Fairbanks Elementary School in Morenci, AZ, came into the class and said, "It happened! Someone tried to get me to smoke, but I knew how to say 'NO,' and I didn't try it." It had only been a class or two before that I told them somewhere, sometime they would be pressured to use tobacco, alcohol, drugs, or even do something that they didn't want to do, and they would need to know how to say 'no' in different ways. I am glad I was there to help when these students were at the right age to be prepared. Thanks for a great curriculum!
Carren Nicklas
Tobacco Prevention Program Coordinator
Greenlee Co Health Department
