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May 15, 2018
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BTG EA Operation Snowball celebrates another successful yearBTG EA Operation Snowball celebrates another successful year

Snowball Yearbook photo

Bridging the Gap (BTG), an Aurora-based non-profit community organization, has partnered with East Aurora High School to coordinate Operation Snowball since 2003.  Operation Snowball is a national organization focused on teen leadership development, particularly around the areas of drug, alcohol, and tobacco prevention.  At East Aurora High School, the partnership with BTG, adds workforce development training as a primary area of focus for Snowball.  All the activities of BTG EA Operation Snowball are conceived and coordinated by teen leaders.  Those teen leaders work in collaboration with the BTG staff, and two members of the East Aurora High School faculty, in the planning and facilitation of weekly meetings and annual Operation Snowball events. 

This year the teen leaders were seniors, Elizabeth Lazcano, Alondra Lazcano, and Mariana Navarro.  They advised by Special Education Teacher Kate Hodgson and School Counselor Matt Sheahan, as well as the Executive Director of Bridging the Gap, Teresa Rosa Jackson.  Several East alums also come to events and meetings throughout the course of the year to continue to offer their support to the D131 community and Snowball as an organization.

This has been a very successful year for Operation Snowball. Participants have contributed to room and desk clean-ups for the English Department, crafted and hung positive messaging throughout the school to impact the overall culture and attitudes of students, hosted speakers on the benefits of community service as well a cancer survivor that bravely shared her story.  Snowball members wrote notes of gratitude to our building and grounds and custodial staffs, and contributed to a gift basket that helped raise thousands of dollars for the Show for the Cure Live cancer benefit organized by FACS teacher Ms. Jenna Murphy. 

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Most recently BTG EA Operation Snowball capped a week of Pre-Prom programming that encouraged students to avoid the perils of drinking and driving as well as illicit drug use, and make a commitment to themselves and their community that they would Please Return On Monday (PROM) following the excitement of Prom weekend. This week truly captured the spirit of Snowball and its mission. One day Snowball members paid compliments to students as they entered the building so as to increase their feelings of self-esteem and value. Members hung fliers in the cafeteria encouraging students to “Make good choices” and “Come home safe.”  Snowball members also solicited students to sign contracts promising to return to home and school safely following Prom festivities.  In perhaps the most impactful moment of programming, throughout the course of the day on May 3rd. student volunteers were removed from class by an alumni volunteer dressed as the Grim Reaper.  Their faces were painted white with black hollowed out eyes and a cardboard tombstone was hung around their neck with their name, birthday and May 3, 2018 as the date of their death. They were also given a flower and print out with the details of an actual life cut short due to drinking and driving.  For the rest of the day these students were stone-faced and silent, going from class to class, but not able to participate as they had been symbolically “killed”.  At the end of the day the 20 volunteers gathered in the new student atrium so that all students leaving for the busses would have to file past their “dead” classmates and consider the potentially lethal impact of driving under the influence.

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This year’s Snowball activities will culminate in a farewell picnic for all graduating Snowball seniors to be held on June 14th in Phillips Park.  Community members interested in partnering with Snowball for next year, or district employees interested in pursuing a paid stipend to serve as a Snowball Advisor, should contact Teresa Rosa Jackson, Executive Director, Bridging the Gap of Aurora at trosajackson@d131.org.

Snowball Yearbook photo

Bridging the Gap (BTG), an Aurora-based non-profit community organization, has partnered with East Aurora High School to coordinate Operation Snowball since 2003.  Operation Snowball is a national organization focused on teen leadership development, particularly around the areas of drug, alcohol, and tobacco prevention.  At East Aurora High School, the partnership with BTG, adds workforce development training as a primary area of focus for Snowball.  All the activities of BTG EA Operation Snowball are conceived and coordinated by teen leaders.  Those teen leaders work in collaboration with the BTG staff, and two members of the East Aurora High School faculty, in the planning and facilitation of weekly meetings and annual Operation Snowball events. 

This year the teen leaders were seniors, Elizabeth Lazcano, Alondra Lazcano, and Mariana Navarro.  They advised by Special Education Teacher Kate Hodgson and School Counselor Matt Sheahan, as well as the Executive Director of Bridging the Gap, Teresa Rosa Jackson.  Several East alums also come to events and meetings throughout the course of the year to continue to offer their support to the D131 community and Snowball as an organization.

This has been a very successful year for Operation Snowball. Participants have contributed to room and desk clean-ups for the English Department, crafted and hung positive messaging throughout the school to impact the overall culture and attitudes of students, hosted speakers on the benefits of community service as well a cancer survivor that bravely shared her story.  Snowball members wrote notes of gratitude to our building and grounds and custodial staffs, and contributed to a gift basket that helped raise thousands of dollars for the Show for the Cure Live cancer benefit organized by FACS teacher Ms. Jenna Murphy. 

cover maybe

Most recently BTG EA Operation Snowball capped a week of Pre-Prom programming that encouraged students to avoid the perils of drinking and driving as well as illicit drug use, and make a commitment to themselves and their community that they would Please Return On Monday (PROM) following the excitement of Prom weekend. This week truly captured the spirit of Snowball and its mission. One day Snowball members paid compliments to students as they entered the building so as to increase their feelings of self-esteem and value. Members hung fliers in the cafeteria encouraging students to “Make good choices” and “Come home safe.”  Snowball members also solicited students to sign contracts promising to return to home and school safely following Prom festivities.  In perhaps the most impactful moment of programming, throughout the course of the day on May 3rd. student volunteers were removed from class by an alumni volunteer dressed as the Grim Reaper.  Their faces were painted white with black hollowed out eyes and a cardboard tombstone was hung around their neck with their name, birthday and May 3, 2018 as the date of their death. They were also given a flower and print out with the details of an actual life cut short due to drinking and driving.  For the rest of the day these students were stone-faced and silent, going from class to class, but not able to participate as they had been symbolically “killed”.  At the end of the day the 20 volunteers gathered in the new student atrium so that all students leaving for the busses would have to file past their “dead” classmates and consider the potentially lethal impact of driving under the influence.

cover1

This year’s Snowball activities will culminate in a farewell picnic for all graduating Snowball seniors to be held on June 14th in Phillips Park.  Community members interested in partnering with Snowball for next year, or district employees interested in pursuing a paid stipend to serve as a Snowball Advisor, should contact Teresa Rosa Jackson, Executive Director, Bridging the Gap of Aurora at trosajackson@d131.org.