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Kadena High School warms up to Operation Snowball

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Marcus Morris
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Getting students to come to school on a weekday can be a challenge at times, but getting them to come to school at 8 a.m. on a Saturday for an all-day event about healthy choices and communication makes the weekday challenge of getting kids to come to school look like child's play.

On March 22, Kadena High School, with the help of 30 volunteers from the community, hosted Operation Snowball for more than 80 high school students. This was the first time this national program was held on Kadena Air Base.

"I used to do Operation Snowball in Illinois and that is where I got the idea to have the event here at Kadena Air Base," said Gail Wells, KHS adolescence substance abuse counselor. "It took about two months to get this program together, but it is very gratifying hearing the kids say that they were able to talk to kids they would have never talked to or get to know if not for this program."

Operation Snowball's name originates from the snowball effect, that if someone has a positive impact on you, you can have a positive impact on someone else and the effect continues to grow. Out of this concept comes a caring and a connected community.

This program differs from Drug Abuse Resistance Education, as D.A.R.E. is designed for elementary students who are still at an age where they still listen to adults at face value.

"At middle school and high school, the confidence of 'I will never use drugs' starts to erode," Gail said. "If you ask a fifth grader about smoking, they will say, 'I will never smoke a cigarette' Operation Snowball helps reinforce that commitment to live drug free. We give the students the information and help to develop good connections and refusal skills so they can make the best decision possible."

The volunteers worked with the students from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., teaching them about alcohol, tobacco, drug and sexual assault prevention, along with how to effectively communicate and not be a bystander. Throughout the day, students were broken up into groups to participate in team building activities and also designed team names, shirts and chants.

The students were taught by a Military Family Life Counselor the difference between passive, aggressive and assertive communication and how assertive communication is the best way to talk to each other. Assertive communication is, mean what you say, say what you mean, but don't say it mean.

"Communication is a bridge between our internal world and external world," said the Military Family Life Counselor. "When we are bad at communicating, it is hard to get what we need in life."

Before the volunteers could teach the students during this event they had to participate in an eight hour course on all the topics the kids would go through and understand the difference between "Just Say No" and "Just Say Know".

"I wish I would have had 'Just Say Know' as a kid. It was nice to get the training for this event to understand the snowball effect of drugs and alcohol and what to expect when my son reaches high school," said Tech. Sgt. Bruce Rick, 18th Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructor. "I had fun working with the kids and got a lot out of this event. I hope they had just as much fun and learned more about themselves and take what they learned and apply it to be able to say no and help their community."

Between the lack of data and the growing rejection of scare tactic efforts, a more realistic informed choice educational approach was created.

"Just Say Know" strives to minimize the potential harm resulting from the misuse of any drug, regardless of its legal status. This program gives parents, educators and health professionals powerful tools to talk with kids about how alcohol and other drugs interact with their minds and bodies and helps to lead children to choose freedom from drug abuse.

The volunteers also taught students that stepping out of their comfort zones can be rewarding when they are making a healthy decision and encouraged participants to sign up for activities that they have never tried.

"I had a great time doing the activities with my group," said a Kadena High School student. "I am normally a shy person and this event got me to meet and talk to people I would have never approached in school."

At the end of the day, students walked away with a better understanding of how to make healthy choices and take smart risks in life, to build and have high-self esteem and a positive attitude, to set their goals high and to overcome failure.