Duncan Middle School is getting serious about drug and vaping education.
The school teamed up with the Wichita Mountain Prevention Network to form the Pathways Youth Coalition. The first meeting for the youth coalition took place before school Thursday with numerous seventh-grade students in attendance.
Pathways Youth Coalition is a group at DMS, teaches kids about drugs and the impact they can have on a someone’s life, including nicotine addiction.
The youth coalition opened to all seventh-grade students to prepare them for leadership responsibilities in the 2025-26 school year.
Barbra Davis, the student advocate at DMS, said, “Yes, I think it’s important.”
Davis said the organization will help educate students and will lead to rehabilitation health.
The Pathways Youth Coalition got its start in 2019, at Duncan High School, according to a brochure about the youth coalition.
“Through a Drug Free Communities (DFC) grant, we identified youth vaping marijuana and tobacco as our prevention focus,” according to the brochure. “Our coalition focuses on creating a supportive environment where young people can actively engage in activities that foster personal growth, community involvement and positive peer influence.”
The mission of the Pathways Youth Coalition is “To inspire and equip youth to lead by example, advocate for healthier choices, and contribute to a drug-free community through education, leadership, and peer support.”
At Duncan Middle School, Davis Alston is the campus adviser for the youth coalition.
Alston, who is a social studies teacher and the leader of the Healthy School Committee at DMS, said there is a need for drug education and wants to help create the drug-free environment at DMS.
He said the organization will be good for building leadership in students at an early age.
The Wichita Mountain Prevention Network and Duncan Middle School have partnered together previously. Earlier this year, the two groups organized the DMS Red Ribbon Week.
According to the Duncan Youth Coalition website, “If you would like to help their efforts, or are a student at Duncan Middle School, you can contact April Darling at [email protected], or at the office 580-355-5246 ext: 105, or cell phone 580-229-3564.”
