During its final meeting of the 2013-14 school year, the Newtown Prevention Council reviewed work completed since last September.

Since its first meeting of the school year, the council has held or participated in events monthly, according to Co-Chair Judy Blanchard. The council also had a number of campaigns, like its annual safe prom campaign and a spring billboard was created to discourage smoking marijuana. A campaign to support students “graduating without alcohol” will also be sent home to community members prior to the high school’s graduation.

Newtown Prevention Council Grant Coordinator Kim Killoy also recently redesigned the council’s website. Ms Killoy announced during the May 15 meeting that the Newtown Prevention Council would like to share links on the website for all of the council’s community partners. She asked for anyone interested to contact the council, and directions on how to contact the council are available at its website.

Using results from the 2013 Youth Survey Report, which was sponsored by the Newtown Prevention Council and the Newtown Public Schools and conducted under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program grant, Ms Blanchard said Newtown Prevention Council members came up with ways to address a number of the topics brought up by the survey at a previous meeting of the council. The survey measures attitudes, behaviors, and related use to substances, like tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs.

“These are your suggestions and these are what we will move forward with next year,” said Ms Blanchard to a number of possible initiatives and campaigns to address results of the survey.

Also during the meeting, Newtown Prevention Council members voted to continue having Ms Blanchard and Chief of Police Michael Kehoe act as co-chairs and for Newtown Health District Director of Health Donna Culbert act as its vice chair.