PHS GameChangers Marissa Morris, Kathryn Lake and Izzy King speak to a group of Williamstown Middle/High School seventh graders Wednesday about healthy friendships and the difference between a friend and a bully. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

WILLIAMSTOWN — PHS GameChangers, a student-powered, substance misuse prevention movement that connects local students through a coordinated, comprehensive prevention education program, is spending three days at Williamstown Middle/High School speaking with sixth, seventh and eighth grade students about bullying, healthy friendships and how to recover quickly from difficulties.

“It was supposed to be like a drug prevention program. But for the younger kids, we try to focus on using better language to help them understand if you make wise decisions like picking your friends right then you won’t be in a situation to do unhealthy choices like drugs and illegal substances,” PHS GameChanger and Parkersburg High School senior Landon Schaedd said.

This is the first public outing for the group, composed of PHS students Schaedd, Brooklyn Miller, Ava Boggs, Marissa Morris, Emily Cain, Izzy King, Tytan Parsons, Hunter Leavitt and Kathryn Lake, and they say they have spent the last two months preparing to speak in front of other students and learning how to choose their words.

“We also talked about how there’s no good and bad choices, they are just healthy and unhealthy, whether it’s physically or mentally,” King, a junior, said.

The group talked about healthy friendships and how sharing doesn’t just mean allowing others to use your things.

PHS GameChangers Landon Shaedd, Tytan Parsons and Hunter Leavitt talk about resiliency to a group of Williamstown Middle/High School seventh graders Wednesday as the group is visiting the school for three days to talk about bullying, healthy friendships and how to recover quickly from difficulties. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

“Friends are able to share their thoughts and feelings,” Miller, a sophomore, told a group of seventh graders. “You should be able to feel comfortable talking to your friends and being able to share those things that you think.”

They also talk to the group about bullying.

“It’s okay to be in a bad mood, but there’s definitely ways that you can handle it healthily,” King told the group. “We don’t want to be the reason that someone doesn’t like to go to school.”

The GameChangers had the group gives examples of how they can be good friends and healthy ways to deal with stress. They also talked to them about being resilient and bouncing back after things get difficult.

“Just remember, we all get overwhelmed in life,” Leavitt told the group. “You have to bounce back. Don’t give up when life gets hard.”

PHS GameChangers, a student-powered, substance misuse prevention movement that connects local students through a coordinated, comprehensive prevention education program, fielded questions from a group of Williamstown Middle/High School seventh graders Wednesday as the group is visiting the school for three days to talk about bullying, healthy friendships and how to recover quickly from difficulties. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

The GamChangers will speak to eighth graders today and say they have learned a lot from their first two events.

“It’s been nerve wracking for us but being able to have the kids here, and they talk back to us and give us the answers and being very involved and active in it definitely helps,” Miller said. “And I feel like we definitely got some very good engagement. And I think that very much showed us what we’re doing is working.”

For more information about the GameChanger program visit gamechangerusa.org.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com

PHS GameChangers, a student-powered, substance misuse prevention movement that connects local students through a coordinated, comprehensive prevention education program, fielded questions from a group of Williamstown Middle/High School seventh graders Wednesday as the group is visiting the school for three days to talk about bullying, healthy friendships and how to recover quickly from difficulties. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

PHS GameChangers Marissa Morris, Kathryn Lake and Izzy King speak to a group of Williamstown Middle/High School seventh graders Wednesday about healthy friendships and the difference between a friend and a bully. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)