Our goal is to provide our community with education and resources surrounding substance misuse and mental health prevention. We will be using this to highlight our initiatives, educational information, upcoming events, and more!

Last year, the Bellevue Independent School District launched the I³: Inspired, Individualized, Inclusive program, a comprehensive initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to address substance use prevention and mental health education in the school and community. The I³ team, led by Project Director Vanessa Kuhn, Data Analyst Sarah Sharp, and Prevention Specialist Celeste Queen, is dedicated to educating students, families, and the broader Bellevue community about the importance of substance use prevention and mental health awareness.

Fostering Healthy Families and Communities

The I³ program focuses on various initiatives to engage the community. Every other month, the team provides meal kits through the Dinner Table Project, encouraging families to come together, bond, and learn about prevention education. Throughout the academic year, the I³ team will also be present at school-based events, offering resources and support to students and families.

Additionally, the team distributes a bi-monthly prevention newsletter, keeping the community informed about recent and upcoming events. We also feature various mental health tips and highlight efforts made by the team to spread awareness.

Addressing Mental Health Support

Recognizing the importance of mental health, the I³ team has initiated monthly "Spill the Tea" meetings at the local Bellevue Starbucks location, which started on World Mental Health Day, October 10th, 2024. These meetings provide resources and education about drug prevention and mental health, creating a platform for open dialogue and support.

Accessible Resources and Information

For more information about the I³ program's initiatives, events, and resources, everyone is encouraged to visit the program's webpage on the Bellevue Independent School District website. The QR code is a direct link to our webpage.

The S.M.I.L.E. Club is sponsored by the Rae of Sunshine Foundation Inc. (KY). The mission of the club is to promote acts of kindness and positivity. The vision is to bring awareness to the importance of each individual's social and emotional health. The S.M.I.L.E. Club believes that:

• a S.M.I.L.E. can change someone's story,
• a S.M.I.L.E. can make a positive change,
  
• a S.M.I.L.E. can illuminate a room,
  
• a S.M.I.L.E. can encourage leadership,
  
• and a S.M.I.L.E. can radiate energy.

The Rae of Sunshine Foundation was founded by the family of Taylor Rae, a sophomore at the University of Kentucky who was scheduled to start her first day of her second semester of her sophomore year, when she tragically passed on the night of January 8th, 2019.

"This was not the last chapter of Taylor's life, though. Her family is committed to using Taylor's story to help others who are struggling with mental health issues. The Rae of Sunshine Foundation Inc. works to bring awareness, give back, and partner with schools, churches, institutions, and any other groups wanting to provide supports and training that stresses the importance of mental health issues. Simply put, the group wants to be a "rae" of sunshine."

The S.M.I.L.E. Club chapter starting at Bellevue believes in the same mission and vision. Striving to increase positivity and kindness, the students have started by participating in a "Chalk the Walk." They dedicated their time to writing positive messages, kind words, and the 988 crisis hotline on the sidewalk in front of the high school. As they continue, they will be hosting events and fundraisers to continue spreading awareness and promoting positivity in the Bellevue school and community.

From October 23rd to October 31st, the Mental Health & Prevention team led the celebration of Red Ribbon Week! The Red Ribbon Campaign® is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation, reaching millions of young people during Red Ribbon Week each year. Children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t; yet, only a quarter of teens report having these conversations. Our team's goal is to encourage open and honest conversations about substance misuse. Visit their site by clicking on the picture to learn more about Red Ribbon Week® and get tips for talking to your kids about drugs. Our team is also available to speak with, if interested in learning more.

Please see the video below that was shared with students at BMHS during the week.

The Campbell County Drug Free Alliance is a diverse group of community members that share a common desire to focus on youth substance use prevention in Campbell County. The coalition directs its efforts on prevention, education, reducing drug access and availability, and policy change. The I³ team has been a part of this coalition since the beginning of the grant and attend each monthly meeting to join the effort on substance use prevention in Campbell County.

We are grateful for their partnership, community, and support they provide for our team. Thanks to CCDFA, we have been able to distribute material to our students and families on substance use prevention, the crisis lifeline 988, lockboxes, and more!

This month, it is important to focus on harvesting healthy habits. Here are a few tips on how to have conversations about alcohol use with your family.

Please take a moment to register for the Dinner Table Project December meal kit. This is open to all families in the Bellevue school district. The meal kits are limited to the first 50 families that sign up. Registration will close on December 9th.

Often we can find ourselves noticing things that we don’t like, or that we wish were different. Choosing to appreciate things in our life, things in others, and things in the world can be a challenge, but practicing Gratitude will help us to be more confident, calm, and focused.

Try this gratitude challenge! Remember that Gratitude is choosing to appreciate the people and things in our lives. Find a place in your home to display a glass jar. Cut up small slips of paper and place them next to the jar. Use the jar to collect special people, places, events, and memories that your family is thankful for. Find a time each week to add slips of Gratitude to the jar and assist students in writing or drawing gratitude as needed. Having a gloomy day or a challenging time as a family? Pull out the slips of Gratitude and read them aloud together as a reminder of your Grateful moments.

Here are some gratitude conversation starters:

• What is something you are Grateful for every day?
• When someone shows you Gratitude, how does it make you feel? Why?

Wednesday, November 13th was World Kindness Day. At GES, a bulletin board was posted to remind our students how they can spread kindness. For BMHS, a bulletin board was posted with "Kups of Kindness." Today during our "Spill the Tea" initiative at the local Starbucks, we will invite the community to write notes of kindness to their younger self to provide encouragement for our students. These will be posted next week for our students and staff to see.

We can't believe we are halfway through November! Here are some upcoming events to be aware of:

December

• Our next meal kit will go out mid-December. We will be sending an email to the families registered a few days before we send the meal kit home.
• The team will be at the Bellevue Starbucks for "Spill the Tea" on Friday, November 15th, and Friday, December 15th, handing our resources and supporting the community.
• We will be sending out an abbreviated newsletter for the holiday seasoning! Be on the lookout for a special edition!