At-Risk Rally reaches Red Bay students
By Brandi Miller For the FCT
May 5 Red Bay High School held its At-Risk Rally in the RBHS gymnasium. The event, previously scheduled to take place on the football field, had to be moved indoors due to inclement weather. The location, however, didn’t hinder the message that was being delivered to the RBHS students.
“I really did feel like the At-Risk Rally was successful with encouraging tobacco, alcohol, drug/substance abuse, bullying and texting prevention for the students,” said event coordinator Christopher Hargett.
The rally was sponsored by the Alabama Department of Public Health–Tobacco Prevention and Control.
The day’s activities began with a guest speaker in the auditorium. Coleman Thompson, a staff member from the Riverbend Center for Mental Health in Florence spoke with students about the dangers of tobacco. He told the students about the ingredients in tobacco products and discussed at length the health effects of using cigarettes, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and vaping products, all of which are popular among high school students. Thompson also did activities with the students to help them see the dangers and effects tobacco can have on overall health.
Once Thompson completed his presentation, students moved to the auditorium, where they had the opportunity to visit educational booths and participate in activities designed to help them make healthy and safe decisions. Red Bay Hospital, Red Bay Police, North Alabama Area Health Education Center, Franklin County Extension, Lauderdale County Extension, Riverbend Center for Mental Health, Jefferson County Department of Health, Allstate Insurance, Alfa Insurance and Bradford Health Services were all on hand to distribute materials and provide information to students.
One of the favorite activities among the students were the “goggles” that simulated the sensation of being intoxicated. Red Bay police directed the students to put on the googles and then try to drive a golf cart around traffic cones. Students would then be fingerprinted and booked into a makeshift jail when they failed the sobriety test. There were activities that involved students having to text while navigating through different obstacles to demonstrate how texting and driving can be distracting and have deadly consequences.
Teachers from the math, history, English, special education and science departments worked the interactive booths while educating the students about the dangers of dangerous decisions.
