IN Norwin Spring 2018 | Page 42

OPERATION PREVENTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MAKES STRIDES

NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS

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Growing Group of Parents and Community Members Promote Message of Awareness , Prevention

The Operation Prevention initiative continues to grow at Norwin School District , with several activities occurring this school year to promote awareness of the dangers of opioids , heroin , and other drugs .

On February 2 , 2018 , Norwin Middle School students in Grades 7 and 8 heard firsthand from specialists of the Pittsburgh office of both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration at an “ Operation Prevention Drug Awareness Day .”
The entire school schedule for the day was reordered to highlight the speakers and provide small group sessions with them . Students learned from Mrs . Kelly Wesolosky , Community Outreach Specialist , FBI Pittsburgh Field Office ; Mr . Brian Dempsey , Senior Intelligence Analyst , Drug Enforcement Administration ; and a local resident who is in recovery from addiction .
“ As educators , we see the Operation Prevention Drug Awareness Day serving as an additional layer in providing our student body with a much deeper understanding surrounding opioid addiction that will ultimately begin life-saving conversations both in the classroom and at home ,” said Norwin Middle School Principal Mr . Robert Suman .
The Drug Awareness Day was a direct outgrowth of the work of the K-12 Operation Prevention Advisory Committee . The Norwin Board of Education authorized the creation of the K-12 Operation Prevention Committee in early 2017 . The Committee has grown to nearly 75 members who are committed to learning more about the Operation Prevention curriculum and how they can help spread the awareness message among other parents . More information about the free curriculum is available at www . OperationPrevention . com .
Operation Prevention is a free educational program created by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA ) and Discovery Education . It provides students with the tools they need to make smart , informed choices when they are prescribed or presented with the opportunity to experiment with opioids . Norwin School District began integrating Operation Prevention lessons into health and physical education classes at Norwin Middle School in spring 2017 , and is expanding the program to include Grade 6 at
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Hillcrest Intermediate School and Grade 10 at Norwin High School .
The Operation Prevention program at Norwin was built upon a strong partnership with the FBI Pittsburgh field office . Its FBI H . O . P . E . ( Heroin Outreach Prevention and Education ) Initiative brought together educational partners from across Southwestern Pennsylvania who were charged with identifying a curriculum that would education students about the dangers of heroin and opioid addiction .
The Committee has met every other month . At recent meetings , Committee members have learned about new addiction research from Saint Vincent College professor Dr . Eric Kocian , and they have also reviewed Board Policy No . 227 – Drug Awareness , Prevention , and Education , which was recently updated . The Committee has also received comprehensive resources from the Drug Enforcement Administration . The parent resources are being collected into a new Operation Prevention Resource Library that is being planned , with resources to also be made available on the Norwin School District Web site at www . norwinsd . org .
At the next meeting , Wednesday , March 21 , 2018 , guest speakers from the U . S . Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in Washington , D . C ., have been invited to present to Norwin parents . They include Mr . Sean Fearns , Chief of Community Outreach , and Ms . Cathleen Drew , Senior Prevention Program Manager . Norwin Superintendent of Schools Dr . William Kerr served on an Operation Prevention panel discussion with Mr . Fearns at the National League of Cities ’ annual conference in Charlotte , N . C ., in November .
Parents and community leaders are welcome to attend the March 21st meeting , which will be held from 4:30 to 6:00 p . m . in the Hillcrest Intermediate School library . If interested in attending , please RSVP to Ms . Suzanne Gigliotti , High School Secretary , at sgigliotti @ norwinsd . org and Mr . Timothy McCabe , Coord . of Drug and Alcohol Prevention / Awareness , at tmccabe @ norwinsd . org .
Brian Dempsey , a Senior Intelligence Analyst with the Drug Enforcement Administration , presents to Norwin Middle School students at the Operation
Prevention Drug Awareness Day February 2 , 2018 .
Dr . Eric Kocian , assistant professor of criminology , law and society at Saint Vincent College , presented the results of a major , twoyear study about addiction at the Norwin School District K-12 Operation
Prevention Advisory Committee .