The Aware and Prepared Club will provide students with the opportunity to learn how to be safe when facing social, emotional and physical harm tomorrow, Dec. 4. The Turning Point Plano will present the meeting.
“If you have the knowledge about certain things, then you can be better prepared,” officer Emily Flohr said. “It’s not to bring fear to people, but it’s more of giving you like that tool in your tool kit of that information to just, from life experience and from my professional experience, things to look out for so that you can be better prepared and equipped to handle certain situations.”
The meeting will inform students about healthy relationships and consent. The Turning Point Plano supplies free counseling, education and advocacy for survivors of assault and violence. Along with these ministrations, the non-profit organization and rape crisis center offers bilingual services, including English and Spanish with further interpretation for other languages available. Its walk-in services are open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday being from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additionally, its 24-hour hotline can be dialed at 1-800-886-7273 for assistance.
“In college, I participated in a self-defense course led by my campus PD,” special education paraprofessional Maria Yeck said. “That experience, along with having two kids that will soon be in college, inspired me to offer a similar experience here at PHS.”
The meeting will take place after school from 4:25 – 5:10 p.m. in Room 1210, hosted by English III teacher Benjamin Whiteside and Yeck, with support from Officer Flohr. Snacks will be provided, and Minga points will be awarded for present students and for those who bring a friend.
“Our club covers topics to help students learn skills to keep them safe in different scenarios,” Yeck said. “It is always beneficial to be ‘aware and prepared’ in life.”
Looking forward, Former Special Operations Unit will provide a self-defense course Jan. 6, with more information to come. To attend either of the meetings, fill out the parent permission form here.
This article was edited by Kate Duncan, Aarushi Rana, Trisha Panicker and Emily Logan.
