by Rebecca Smith While Thanksgiving typically kicks off the holiday season, there’s another day parents should keep in mind: the night before, sometimes referred to as “Blackout Wednesday.” The name comes from the fact that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is one of the days of the year...
by Joseph Byrum Coalition Corner is an opportunity to highlight the good work that coalition members do every day and to hear their thoughts about coalition work. Officer Patricia Davis is a School Resource Officer at Kilgore Middle School and serves as the Youth Director for the...
By Cory McCoy “Sometimes the best way to solve your problems is to help someone else.” While that line may sound like timeless words of wisdom, it’s actually from a cartoon. With those words, fan favorite Uncle Iroh was telling the titular hero of Legend of Korra...
by Joseph Byrum There are several reasons why kids and teens experiment with alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. They may try a drug because they feel like all of their friends are doing it, but there are also other factors that can lead kids and teens...
By Cory McCoy In recognition of World Kindness Day, the Sources of Strength team at Next Step is recognizing positive friends, and the impact they have on our lives. With Sources we focus on eight strengths to help students build hope, help and strength. Over the next...
By Nathan Grounds Substance Abuse Prevention Month This October marks the 10th annual National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, a designation designed to honor those who have lost their lives to substance abuse and to highlight the significance of prevention efforts nationwide. Substance misuse is not something foreign to...
By Rebecca Smith Next Step counselor Garland Willis recalled what made him go from being a high school principal to a counselor a few years ago. “Being a principal is where all my white hair came from,” he said with a laugh. “As a principal, my most...
By Rebecca Smith Every so often, a Next Step counselor will see an adolescent who is struggling with their LGBTQ identity. For these students, counseling can make the biggest difference, as they can be especially vulnerable to mental health issues. “Suicide is the third leading cause of...
Most teens don’t drink regularly. Why do so many East Texans believe the myth that they do? One of the questions we ask students during alcohol presentations is “What percentage of teens do you think drink regularly?” More often than not, students think that most of their...
By Rebecca Smith Collin Phaup has been a board member at Next Step for five years, and president of the board for two of those years. Over the last five years, Next Step has nearly tripled its budget. County coverage has doubled. Staffing has nearly doubled,...