The Hastings High School SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) club addresses challenges relating to mental health for students. With initiatives such as the distribution of stress balls during midterms and the handing out of contact cards for Safe Rides, the SADD club works to make a positive impact on the student community and help kids stay safe and healthy.
Ms. Chris Repp, the HHS social worker who runs SADD club, is dedicated to advocating for student well-being. When asked what her favorite SADD club events were, she highlighted two examples: the “candy cane holiday event where SADD club members personally gave candy canes to people, reminding them to take care of themselves for the holidays and be safe” and “the little bit of midterm stress busters where we pass out stress balls.” Both of these events focus on giving students tools to help manage their mental health during times that can be difficult.
Ms. Repp also said that in the future she would love to see “some good peer to peer mental health boot camp [projects]”; initiatives that would help people feel more comfortable asking for help and encouraging students to find healthy ways to manage their stress and mental health. This peer community aspect of the club was echoed by Sophie Halliburton, a SADD club president, when she described SADD club as “a place that emphasizes peer to peer communication and tries to address problems that we think are relevant in the student body.”
The club also partakes in national events such as Red Ribbon Week, which honors a DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agent who was murdered in 1980 and aims to raise awareness around drugs by educating youth about drug prevention. They also work with other schools through the Westchester Youth Task Force which brings students together to discuss countywide issues in schools.
As the SADD club plans its initiatives for this year, Ms. Repp thinks that “the SADD club needs to carry on, and we need to have anybody who’s curious or interested in coming to a meeting to come.” Sophie also says that “SADD club [is] a fun and collaborative environment where you get to connect to your peers” and help students.
