St. Gabriel Grade 9 Students attend Foothills Hospital’s “P.A.R.T.Y.” Program

On Wednesday, April 25th, St. Gabriel the Archangel grade 9 students were fortunate to attend and participate in the Foothills Hospital’s “PARTY Program”. The acronym stands for: Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth. It is a program designed to teach teens about the consequences of making bad decisions and poor life choices. It starts out with a visit to the Intensive Care Unit, or Emergency Room, followed by various videos and PSA’s being shown to the students. Afterwards was lunch! During lunch, half of the students needed to eat with a brain injury, which resulted in a partner having to feed them, and half of the students had to eat with a spinal cord injury, resulting in difficulties with swallowing, etc. What followed was considered one of the most powerful parts of the day. Four injury and trauma survivors spoke to the youth about their decisions and their consequences for those decisions. One student, Charlene, said: “it was very inspirational, and it motivated me to think about what I am doing before I make the decision to do it, and to know what choices can possibly change my whole life”. Others agreed with her. Another student, Victoria Miller said: ” It was amazing, worth getting up at 6 in the morning to be at the school by 7″. Staff and students at the school thought alike. Leadership Teacher Mrs. Smith said: “It was an excellent reminder to make responsible decisions, an awesome program for our students.” The grade nine students at the school are very thankful to the staff at the Foothills Hospital for allowing us to have this unforgettable experience.