Support resources on the back of each student ID card

September 29, 2021 1:30 am
Contributed photo Luke Fincher and Madison and Maile Buehler put prevention resource stickers on Friday Harbor schools’ student ID cards.
Contributed photo Luke Fincher and Madison and Maile Buehler put prevention resource stickers on Friday Harbor schools’ student ID cards.

Submitted by the San Juan Island Prevention Coalition.

Rock Solid is the youth prevention team with the San Juan Island Prevention Coalition, helping promote health and wellness in our community.

Three years ago, Rock Solid reached out to then school principal Fred Woods and asked if they could get valuable free resources for suicide prevention and Escape the Vape printed on the back of all the Friday Harbor Middle and High School students’ identification cards. Thankfully, everyone could see the benefit of this prevention project.

Luke Fincher, Rock Solid’s leader, came up with the idea when they started to hand out the wallet-size suicide prevention pamphlets on the student’s lockers each December in their hallways as a mental health promotion campaign.

“If we print these resources on the back of our Student ID cards, our peers will have the important resources when they need them, in the palm of their hand,” Fincher said.

Rock Solid is on a roll! This year, Rock Solid had to pivot with a new school photographer, Mr. Bell, and a printing lab only offering one-sided printing. Luke arranged to get the Student IDs this week with the support of Mr. Bell and Mr. Yablonovsky, the new FHHS Principal. The San Juan Island Prevention Coalition donated the funds needed to get 500 stickers for the new Student ID cards and an extra 500 stickers for the Student Planners, another great idea from Rock Solid member Madison Buehler! Luke, Madison, and Maile, a HOTS Jr. Prevention member, put the stickers on the back of each Student ID to help support their peer’s health and well-being.

Rock Solid also contributed its $1,000 prize money from a Red Ribbon contest, in which it won Judge’s Choice for its themed contest entry. This money will help the school to purchase an in-house Student ID card machine. This machine will allow for two-sided printing and the ability to update resources as needed. Plus, new students will get their ID made quickly and still include the printed resources on the back.

Rock Solid wants to see these critical resources on the back of our student IDs for years to come. Way to build a sustainable prevention project, Rock Solid! Congratulations to senior Fincher, freshman Madison Buehler and seventh-grader Maile Buehler for their time and dedication to ensuring this project was successful even in these challenging times.

They are Rock Solid!