Cardinal Mooney Students Say YES to a Healthy Lifestyle

March 28th, 2017 | School Spotlight | By: Jennifer Hoang

With a growing amount of drug use in the US, it is necessary to provide students with appropriate education to prevent them from going down the wrong path. As a yearly tradition, Cardinal Mooney High School held its 4th YES!Fest on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. Not only did the event tell the students to say “No” to drugs and alcohol, it also encouraged them to say “Yes” to healthy living and engaging in meaningful activities to better the community. The preparation for YES!Fest was a long and busy process, lasting about 5 months. Being on the organizing committee myself, the other members and I each needed to look for a sponsor to fund this promising project. Additionally, we raised funds by selling dress down passes to the students, which is a go-to way to easily make money at school. Inviting outside agencies to be sponsors was not simple either; it took weeks of sending notes, emailing, and calling. By giving out YES!Fest T-shirts designed by one of our Mooney students, the whole school was filled with the “Yes to healthy living and No to drugs” spirit. The day of the event finally came after much careful preparation. We were fortunate enough to have Mr. Eric Ungaro, a member of Mahoning County Board of Drugs and Alcohol, as our keynote speaker. He clearly pointed out to the students the massive danger and accompanying risks of using drugs and alcohol, especially during their teenage years. Then the students took turns visiting the gym, where more than 50 local agencies, from nursing homes to fitness organizations to Mooney clubs, were located. The agencies introduced their volunteer opportunities and programs to the students, creating a great chance for them to sign up and take action to support YES!Fest’s motive. Seeing the enjoyment on the Cardinals’ faces and their willingness to participate, the YES!Fest committee believes it was the best and most successful YES!Fest yet. Mooney was also happy to have students from Howland High School come and observe our event to help with organizing their very own in May. On behalf of the committee, I would like to say a special thank you to our sponsors and the agencies involved in helping us spread this important message, to the members and advisors of the committee for all the hard work and passion to inspire other students, and to the rest of the school for supporting our event. See you next year YES!Fest 2018!