Latest news with #EducationWestVirginia
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
North View Elementary School hosts GameChanger dinner promoting drug prevention education
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) – GameChanger, a leading anti-drug initiative in West Virginia schools, hosted a dinner Wednesday evening at North View Elementary School. During the event, GameChanger officials provided resources to guardians and children in attendance, emphasizing the importance of drug prevention efforts within the school system. The program works with schools to implement and sustain student peer leadership programs in order to help children make healthy choices regarding alcohol, opioids and other substances. A documentary on fentanyl titled 'One Pill Can Kill' provided recognition to the GameChanger program. 'We are trying to get it from kindergarten all the way to high school. We're teaching, 'hey, one pill can kill, all it takes is that one time.' So, the documentary is about 45 minutes long. The classes, our third through fifth graders, are required to watch it here,' North View Elementary School counselor and GameChanger coach Tommy Retton said. Major West Virginia teachers unions merge to form 'Education West Virginia' Currently, GameChanger is available for all schools at no cost. As a youth-led prevention and community development initiative, GameChanger focuses on education, support and empowerment. 'The community as a whole is very important because we are able to funnel this information and kind of give an education. I know, even as a school counselor, I learn these things in school, but when you're in the community, you're seeing that this resource does this or this group does this, and I think education is very important,' Retton added. In fifth grade, North View Elementary has GameChanger leaders, and they help Retton by going into the classrooms and teaching lessons to their peers. Retton explained that the idea of peer-to-peer mentorship helps youth leaders become lifelong community leaders. 'As we're raising up these leaders in third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, our goal is not to keep them in school. It's to send them out into the community. And so, we are always thinking long term,' Retton said. 'Our fifth graders are going to be adults someday. They're going to be parents. They're going to be husbands and wives. They're going to be employees in the community. And so, if they can learn to have a strong foundation now, just imagine what they'll do in the community when they can begin to teach prevention to the younger generation and teach these tools they're giving themselves.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Major West Virginia teachers unions merge to form ‘Education West Virginia'
CHARLESTON, (WBOY) — Two major teachers unions in West Virginia are merging together into one organization. Delegates from the West Virginia Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia (AFT-WV) voted on Saturday to merge the two organizations and starting Sept. 1, they will be known as 'Education West Virginia'. Plans to merge the two organizations began back in 2018 when they worked together during the state's teachers' strike. 12 News spoke to the future leadership of Education West Virginia Dale Lee, President of the West Virginia Education Association, and Kristie Skidmore, President of AFT-WV. 'It made more sense for us to with the many commonalities that we had to join together to address these attacks on public education and just be a stronger unified voice for public education, for our employees, for our educators and our students,' Lee said. 12 local technical center students to compete in national SkillsUSA competition Skidmore went on to say that regardless Education West Virginia will be an organization that listens to its members and their concerns. 'It's tough right now to cover all the bases in public education and to take even more resources away is definitely a concern for both organizations and especially the merged organization.' Education West Virginia sees a number of emerging concerns in West Virginia public education, including the Hope Scholarship, which proponents say will offer West Virginia families greater choice in how to educate their children, but others say will draw resources away from public education. The Hope Scholarship could cause a new expense for the state government to the tune of $100 million, and Education West Virginia worries about where that money will come from. Lee said the planned dissolving of the Department of Education also poses funding challenges. Among the Department of Education's responsibilities is administering funds to Title I schools, and Lee says that 54% of West Virginia schools are Title I. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
