Students at Columbia High School have been busy over the past year, participating in statewide leadership conferences and pushing for substance use awareness among their peers.

The Monroe County Coalition for Drug-Free Communities heard from CHS Operation Snowball students last week, touching on their experiences at the Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute as well as what they’ve been up to in their own school.

Operation Snowball has long been a key interest for the coalition. The statewide initiative is meant to encourage youth to be leaders and have a positive impact when it comes to teen drug and alcohol use in their communities.

Local efforts toward building Operation Snowball groups in Monroe County schools have seen particular success in recent years, with Columbia seeing some of the largest growth and activity.

Students spoke positively about their time at CGTI conferences over the past two years. They offered further insight into what the latest CGTI Mid-Year Conference was like, having attended just a few weeks prior in mid-January.

They broadly noted the variety of classes, workshops and group discussions they enjoyed at Mid-Year, recalling the quality of speakers that presented as well as the experience of talking and working with students from all over the state to consider how to improve their schools and communities.

Columbia School Resource Officer Tyler McWhorter, who helps oversee Columbia Operation Snowball activity, offered his own thoughts on the progress he’s seen at CGTI conferences.

“The Mid-Year is a halfway point of, ‘How are you guys doing on your objectives?’” McWhorter said. “They learn about leadership. They learn about saying no to substances. They learn about just being good people and opening up, have shared experiences with people. That drives a lot of what they do. Their goal in Columbia is creating a space that everybody can feel welcome to.”

Coalition Executive Director Monica Kirkpatrick also offered her thoughts.

“I was able to go to CGTI this summer and witness and be a part of your discussion groups,” Kirkpatrick said. “Just incredible. Y’all have identified the issues that are in your specific school, how you want to combat that, put a plan together. It’s beautiful. You’re doing it just the way you should be doing it.”

Fielding questions from coalition members in attendance, students spoke further about how productive their time at the conferences has felt, noting how speakers do an excellent job of introducing new concepts or suggesting how to reach out and help others.

Among the Columbia students was Molly Harnes, who remarked on how much insight she left the conference with.

“It was easy to build off of,” Harnes said. “It’s almost like CGTI just gives you all the resources you need and all the information you need, and all you have to do is go out and do it.”

Students also offered their advice for those in the coalition looking to encourage some of their more introverted students to get involved in Operation Snowball, suggesting that group leaders try to limit pressure to get the ball rolling, encouraging students to talk but emphasizing it’s not strictly necessary.

McWhorter offered comment in a similar vein, speaking to the benefit of a large conference like CGTI as students can often be more open and honest with folks they expect not to see on a daily basis.

“When you get to Mid-Year or CGTI, now you’re with a whole bunch of people you don’t necessarily know, and that’s how you develop friendships in different cities,” McWhorter said. “You have people that you can tell these things to and be yourself.”

Beyond the conference, students also spoke about some of their recent activity at CHS.

Of particular note were Operation Snowball activities amid Red Ribbon Week last semester, with students recalling ducks they placed around school to mark the occasion as well as goody bags with keychains they doled out.

Students also mentioned posters put up around school and the strong turnout at their meetings, trying to provide a place for any student to feel included.

It was noted club growth has largely come from word of mouth, though there are plans for a freshman welcome event.

Another key topic for students and coalition members alike was the retreat that is being planned.

Set to take place at Camp Wartburg, the retreat is intended to be a smaller, local version of the statewide CGTI conferences, with students coming together to discuss their communities, talk about substance use trends among their peers and generally grow their leadership skills.

Another topic that came up toward the end of the coalition meeting was substance use in the wider community.

It was noted Red Bud had recently restricted the sale of kratom products, one of several substances McWhorter highlighted during a presentation in January.

The subject of youth alcohol consumption also came up, with students voicing frustration at the idea of parents providing alcohol to their kids.

“It sounds sad to think that adults are contributing to the problem we’re trying to solve,” Harnes said. “There’s so many parents, I can think of many that come to mind, that probably do know what it is, and that’s really disheartening to me. I’m trying really hard. We’re trying really hard to put this together, and it’s like a slap in the face.”

Coalition member Bill Rebholz chimed in at one point to commend students for all their recent efforts, remarking on how they are setting a strong foundation as they are set to become future leaders in the community.

“You’re changing the culture in your schools, is what you’re doing,” Rebholz said. “By extension, with all your relationships, you’re changing the culture in the county. Fast forward 10, 20, 30 years, some of you will be back in this community, others will be, you know, who knows in the world. I foresee you guys being our mayors, our aldermen, our county commissioners or sitting on the school board… You’ll have the ability to extend what you’re doing now into the community.”

The coalition’s next meeting is scheduled for March 4 at 4:30 p.m. at 1315 Jamie Lane in Waterloo.