The Students Against Destructive Decisions, also known as the SADD club, is a club at Saint Rose that strives to encourage students to make the responsible choices when dealing with difficult situations in their life.
Mrs. Fallon, who is a guidance counselor here at St. Rose, is the moderator of the SADD club, and took the time to tell me everything a student needs to know about the SADD club. Mrs. Fallon said that SADD is an off-shoot of the club MADD, which stands for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The MADD club’s main focal point was to raise awareness against drunk driving, but eventually wanted to expand to make it a more comprehensive peer learning and leadership program, which is how the SADD club was formed.
When asked on who could join the SADD club, Mrs. Fallon said, “Any St. Rose student with a commitment to improving peer relations and educating students on making positive choices is welcome to join the club.” So, any student who has an interest in helping and enabling other students to make the right and healthy decisions when moving forward in their lives are welcome to become a member of SADD. The club is full of dedicated students who take time out of their busy schedules in order to better the lives of their peers here at St. Rose, which makes a big impact on everybody involved.
The SADD club organizes many different events in order to raise awareness on what means most to them; helping their peers make the right decisions. The biggest event and contribution the SADD club had to St. Rose this year was the Senior Transition Day, which was held in March of this year. Mrs. Fallon stated, “This year our biggest project was the Senior Transition Day. The club had arranged for four different speakers to come in and talk with the seniors about relevant topics and different aspects of their lives since they will be soon moving onto college. Some of the speakers included a lawyer, a recovering addict, a priest and a police officer against cyberbullying. The day was a success and the seniors benefitted so much from our speakers!” Aside from organizing this big project, the SADD members also participate in workshops that are provided by local hospitals and community groups. Through the workshops, SADD members learn leadership skills that they can pass on to their peers. Along with all of this, the club is also planning to create a program in which students from the high school work and serve as mentors to children from St. Rose Grammar School.
“I think that our SADD club is a very beneficial one to join for many reasons,” Mrs. Fallon said. “It’s a very valuable club because it gives students the great opportunity to learn leadership skills that they can use for the rest of their lives. Also, it’s a service oriented club, so it looks really well on college applications!” Overall, the SADD club is a club that everyone could benefit from, so every student should strongly consider becoming a member!
By Emma Brenner ’16