Riverhead High School SADD Club Hosts Week of Activities to Raise Awareness

Riverhead High School’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Club recently hosted a week of activities focused on raising awareness about topics such as the dangers of drinking and/or texting and driving, toxic relationships, alcohol abuse, social media and bullying.

According to the online SADD Mission statement, originally, the mission of the SADD chapter was to help young people say “No” to drinking and driving.

However, now, the mission has expanded. Positive peer pressure, role modeling and environmental strategies can prevent destructive decisions and set a healthier, safer course for young lives. And that is why SADD has become a peer-to-peer education, prevention, and activism organization dedicated to preventing destructive decisions, particularly underage drinking, other drug use, risky and impaired driving, teen violence, and teen suicide.

At the week’s first event, representatives from Allstate Insurance company encouraged students to take a pledge to refrain from “txting” while driving.

The students who participated read a pledge, signed a pledge card with their thumb print and received a small “ txting kills” thumb ring.

Their participation also qualified the students for a chance at a raffle prize.

The raffle gifts included gift cards to area restaurants. RHS SADD would like to thank Jacki Messineo, Marcy Tooker and Elizabeth Hanlon for their time and efforts.

Tuesday’s topic was “toxic relationships”. Wednesday’s events focused on mental health awareness and Thursday’s emphasis was be on the problems created by the misuse of social media.

Photo #1: Allstate Insurance representatives (L-R: Jacki Messineo, Marcy Tooker and Elizabeth Hanlon) sponsored a table on “Texting and Drive” during the SADD Club’s Awareness week.

Photo #2: RHS SADD Club would like to thank L-R: Allstate and Jacki Messineo, Marcy Tooker and Elizabeth Hanlon for their time and efforts.

Photo #3: Elizabeth Hanlon encourages students to take the pledge not to text and drive by adding their thumb print to a large banner.

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