![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
A crowded gym, a guest speaker, and a story to be told. The DGN student body waited patiently for a presentation, but this one was far different from expected. Former NBA player Chris Herren struggled with substance abuse, which ultimately led to the end of his career as a basketball star. Herren has been in recovery from substance dependence since 2008.
The assembly began with a movie created on Herrens’ life, ESPN’s “Unguarded,” which gave students insight to the struggles and addiction that Herren went through as a professional athlete.
“In full transparency, I never really decided to become a public speaker. It’s kind of something that just happened,” Herren said. “When I first started doing it, it was more about me and less about addiction and prevention. Around seven years ago, I pivoted and changed the presentation from just telling my story. I thought kids deserved a little more substance to the presentation than just hearing how bad my life got.”
His third time speaking at DGN, Herren delivered a presentation Oct. 10, but not just about his journey. Herren explained that he’s not here to talk about himself, it’s the audience that matters. “Too many kids were leaving thinking about my story and not theirs. The whole premise around this is that I want to give kids an opportunity to be more self aware and identify where they’re at, in their social life, in their high school years,” Herren said.
Student Assistant Coordinator Keith Bullock played an instrumental role in planning and organizing the assembly. As a part of the Counseling and Student Support Services department, Bullock works with alcohol and drug prevention and is the advisor for Operation Snowball, a youth leadership program centered around social-emotional wellness and making conscious decisions regarding substance use.
“It’s hard as an adolescent to think that getting addicted is a reason not to use while you’re in high school,” Bullock said. “It’s hard to look so far ahead, because we think that would never happen to us. Kids were drawn in by his compelling story, but then secondly, his point of focusing on the now, instead of the end, is encouraging people to reflect and reevaluate their choices.”
Operation Snowball and Elite leaders had the opportunity to meet Herren prior to the assembly.
“I really appreciate that I go to a school that is willing to take time out of every student’s day in order to highlight an issue as important as substance abuse,” senior Operation Snowball Director Matthew Sirota said.
In 2011, Herren founded Herren Project, a nonprofit addiction recovery organization. Helping people get into treatment and providing financial support, the Herren Project also focuses its efforts on the prevention of drug and alcohol misuse by promoting healthy choices and empowering individuals to lead substance-free lives.
“I felt it was kind of my duty to jump in and get involved in that respect. Someone gave me the gift of getting sober, and I just wanted to give that same gift, I wanted to offer that opportunity to people,” Herren said. “I thought it was irresponsible of me to walk into a school and have the platform that I had, but there was no support on the back end.”
To get involved in every step of the process, Herren also founded Herren Wellness, a recovery program providing holistic wellness services to those struggling with addiction.
“I wanted to be a part of the beginning, I just wanted to see some 20 year-old-girl and her parents rolling their suitcases up,” Herren said. “And it’s a tough day, but then to see them a year later, it’s an amazing full circle moment. I get that opportunity with Herren Wellness, that’s what I love about it.”
Averaging around 200 talks per year, Herren travels the country to speak to various different groups, yet speaking to high school students is the most challenging but rewarding experience of them all.
“I’ve walked into rooms like The Bears, The Yankees, Harvard, West Point, Ted Talks, prisons, and college commencements,” Herren said. “For the last 15 years I’ve had a responsibility, first and foremost as a father, and as a man who battles in recovery, walking into gyms like this and presenting in front of almost 2 million kids. I truly believe in my heart that I’ve made a difference for some of you.”
This story was originally published on DGN Omega on November 21, 2023.