In a dimly lit room tucked away from one of the hallways at Fort Vancouver High School, two students filled small decorated pots with potting soil and tulip bulbs. They planted promises too.

“It’s a promise to yourself that you will make good decisions,” said student Vanessa Silva-Rodriguez, who joined the Great Prevention Club this year.

The Great Prevention Club has been around for about a decade in Fort Vancouver. Members learn and teach other students and community members about intervention and prevention methods when it comes to drug use.

“All the things that we do to reduce drug use in our prevention efforts also reduce the impact of mental health,” said club advisor Alizz Quarles, “and the impact of academic failure, the impact of violence, the impact of unwanted teenage pregnancy and a lot of different things .”

Quarles, an intervention and prevention specialist, has led the club for two years.

Last school year, the club carried out the Opiate Overdose Response Education project. Members trained approximately 370 students on how to recognize the signs of an overdose and administer Narcan, an emergency treatment for an opioid overdose or suspected overdose.

Quarles said the Great Prevention Club plans to train new club members and community members this year on how to administer Narcan, also known by the generic name naloxone. She also wants the club to connect with those who run My Friends Are Not For Sale, an organization that engages in education and awareness around reducing youth trafficking.

Another event in the works will take place at one of Vancouver’s middle schools to talk about drug use in the transition from middle school to high school.

“It’s important for them to be educated about it and to know that there is a community where you can go and help spread awareness,” said student Emaunie Bush, a third-year club member.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Quarles and the students discussed their winter event, Cocoa & Caring. The club is still working out some details, but the hope is to offer cups filled with cocoa packets and cards with ways to access resources, including a suicide prevention hotline. They will be given to students heading out on winter break “because everyone’s home life is different,” Quarles said.

The Great Prevention Club also hosts lunch events with a colorful wheel with numbers on each color. Students line up and whatever number they spin comes up with a question, such as “What is the Good Samaritan Law?” Club members will provide the answer if the student does not know along with information about the club and how to join it.

Washington’s 911 Good Samaritan Overdose Act refers to individuals who call 911 and try to save the life of someone who has overdosed on drugs. Callers will not get in trouble for breaking drug laws.

At any time during the school year, students can join the club.

“We’re not like the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. We’re not here to scare you. We’re here to spread awareness,” said student Zamyrah Scott, a third-year club member.

The group introduced school spirit days for Red Ribbon Week, during which students dressed up in a different theme each day. The nationally celebrated week, which ran from October 23-31, highlights the importance of staying drug-free and making healthy decisions.

“If people don’t know what they can do and how they can respond, our club would like to give them an opportunity to empower and educate them about what they can do,” Quarles said. “All lives are precious.”