Granite Falls students hope to continue progress in encouraging good choices

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, May 18, 2011

GRANITE FALLS — Senior Jon Hoeppner looks forward each week to Wednesday evening.

That’s because he’s part of a group of middle and high school students working to get a message across to their fellow students, friends and residents in Granite Falls.

The message is “Just one choice.”

It means everyone has a choice to make decisions that can lead to positive or negative consequences in their lives, said Ally Nelson, a student at Cavelero Mid High School in the Lake Stevens School District and the president of the Granite Falls “Be the Change” Youth Coalition.

The youth co

alition formed after an MTV crew filmed an episode of “If You Really Knew Me” in Granite Falls, said Ally, 15. The documentary series focused on Challenge Day, a national course that puts students through exercises meant to break down stereotypes. The Granite Falls episode aired in September.

Some students wanted to keep the momentum going after Challenge Day, and the coalition began holding weekly meetings in January to talk about their lives. They have organized dances for middle school students where they’ve collected food for the local food banks and will participate in the Washington Prevention Spring Youth Forum that begins today at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound.

The group applied for a scholarship in April that will help six students and two adults attend the forum focused on prevention. They have worked for weeks on a presentation about their group, its purpose and goals.

Their presentation involves six members who tell a little about their lives including bouts with depression, drug use, homelessness and the death of friends resulting from drug abuse.

“Drug use has been a big problem in Granite Falls for a long time and we just recently had another kid die of an overdose,” Ally said. “We just really want to get the word out because people don’t realize what they’re using could lead to them doing harder drugs and then eventually they could die.”

The group will compete against other teams from across the state for prizes at the forum. The top groups at the conference will be given the chance to give their presentation in Washington, D.C., said Mary Wysocki, a prevention specialist for the Granite Falls School District.

Hoeppner, 19, who attends Crossroads Alternative High School, said he’s excited to give the presentation. It’s a chance to share their ideas with other youth coalitions and bring new ideas to improve the community back with them, he said.

The group received permission from the Granite Falls City Council to place a memorial bench in Jim Holm Park dedicated to students who have died from drug abuse and other decisions. They will share their campaign in a radio advertisement that is planned to air this summer on local stations, Wysocki said. A Facebook page for the group is also being made.

The youth coalition members are his friends, Hoeppner said.

“For me it helps me every week to talk about stuff that has been going on and just being able to open up,” he said. “When I first came here I was one of the first people to open up and share about everything in my life; about my brother being in jail, struggling with drugs and being homeless. People are all understanding here.”

Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491; adaybert@heraldnet.com.