Special programs at Tahlequah Public Schools are having a positive effect on the students enrolled in them, according to Sheryl Ridenour, principal of Tahlequah Alternative School.

During the Tahlequah I-35 Board of Education’s monthly meeting Thursday night, Ridenour, along with Preventionists Nikki Hurst and Teffany Goodwin, reported on the success of the Alcohol Reduction Grant and programs offered through TAS.

“We have the research to show the programs are working,” said Billie Jordan, assistant superintendent for grants and federal programs. “We’re anticipating greater improvement when we survey our high school students again this spring.”

In its second year, the Alcohol Reduction Grant is already offering services that aren’t found at many other schools in the state. The district has started an Alcoholics Anonymous program that serves 11 students on average.

“Nobody likes to think we have these problems with our children,” said Nikki Hurst. “Through this grant, we’ve been able to get these kids counseling, and we’ve had as many as 30 students in attendance.”

The program is confidential and provides a safe place for students to discuss their problems and have adults work with them.

Goodwin said preventionists often help students deal with problems that go far beyond the classroom.

“The situations these kids bring to you are just incredible,” said Goodwin. “If you’re not trained in this area, it’s hard to understand what kinds of situations these kids have to go through.”

Through the district’s CARE teams and other agencies in the county, preventionists work with the students and their families to get the help and support they need.

“The interphasing of all our community resources is just amazing when you see the coordinated effort of all our community folks,” said Superintendent Paul Hurst. “The people working in our district sell caring and sell hope for our kids, and we’re proud of our people and these programs.”

To educate other students on alcohol and drug behaviors of classmates, the district adopted a social norming campaign that began with a survey of high school students on alcohol consumption. The survey revealed that 79 percent of the students had not drank an alcoholic beverage in the past month.

After a campaign at Tahlequah High School involving students from groups like Students Working Against Tobacco, the students at the schools got excited about the statistics, Goodwin said.

“We’re about to start a new survey to what kind of an impact that campaign had,” said Goodwin. “The poster campaign really got kids talking, and we think it’s convinced the kids that the results are true.”

Jordan also reported the district received two grants from the Cherokee Nation, at $6,400 each, for a summer school fitness program at Cherokee Elementary and Tahlequah Middle School. The district will purchase the Coordinate Approach to Child Health program, which provides curriculum and equipment to support and encourage a healthy lifestyle.

The district also received a $25,000 GEAR UP grant for TMS to provide training for teachers in several professional development areas.