A dedicated group of Irvington High School students recently participated in the annual CODA YOU(th) Summit, a virtual event hosted by The Harris Project. They joined peers from more than 45 Westchester high schools to deepen their understanding of co-occurring disorders – the combination of mental health challenges and substance misuse – and to explore meaningful ways to foster prevention, awareness and peer support in their school community.
With the support of Student Assistance Counselor Danielle Gamar, the summit provided the students with an inspiring experience, sparking important conversations about how to bring key messages back to Irvington. With CODA Week approaching at the end of April, they are already developing plans to amplify awareness.
This experience strongly reflects the district’s Portrait of a Graduate attributes. The students acted as courageous learners by engaging critically with complex topics such as mental health and substance use, asking thoughtful questions, and exploring prevention strategies. As engaged citizens, they reflected on how these issues affect their peers and school community and began planning ways to reduce stigma and promote inclusion. They also demonstrated the qualities of effective communicators through collaboration with students from other districts and commitment to bringing CODA messaging back to Irvington. The summit also encouraged students to grow as self-aware individuals, fostering empathy, emotional insight, and a commitment to personal and collective well-being.
