Falls City Academy helps educate students on drug awareness and mental health

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Falls City Academy in Jerome held an event on Friday to help educate students about drug awareness, mental health and life skills.

The school’s Hope Day event saw students split into three rotating groups to participate in multiple activities.

South Central Public Health and Idaho Fentanyl Education taught students about the effects of nicotine, vaping and other drug use.

The Love Yourself organization set up a gigantic parachute in the gym to help reinforce positive mental health, and St. Luke’s provided a cooking class to help with life skills.

Principal Stacey McFarland explained why partnering with these foundations for the event is essential.

“Bringing these community partners together to give these kids hope, show them that they don’t have to be a product of their circumstance or environment, empowering them to make good choices in their life because they are important to our community, and they do have a lot to offer,” McFarland said.

McFarland also said that the event also provides students with an opportunity to give students a break from the grind of the winter education process.
Students at the academy shared what the events mean to them and the importance of educating students on these topics.

“I feel like it’s easier in this school because we’re such a small school,” said Devin Rozco. “It’s easier to be more focused on students because it’s such a really small school.”

Student Josiah Bravo mentioned how the events act as a way for kids to break the stigma of talking about these subjects.

“There’s a lot of kids that don’t choose to speak up about it, so having something like this offers them a lot of a lot of leniency, like a shield in a way,” Bravo said. “It’s kind of to show them like ‘Hey, we do care about you and there is meaning to this life.’”

Bravo also said that these classes provide an opportunity to remind students that they matter.

McFarland said that the school looks forward to planning future events that help students.