MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Thousands of students and educators packed the WVU Coliseum on Tuesday for the first of two youth opioid summits scheduled for this week.
The West Virginia Secondary Schools Activity Commission helped organize a speaker series to help students understand the dangers of misusing drugs.
Around 7,000 high school students attended the summit.
Erin Parsons, who teaches at John Marshal High School, said the event served as a valuable learning opportunity for students.
“I see for our students a lot of them are dealing with problems at home that many of us in the educational field may not have familiarity with,” she said.
Former NBA player Chris Herren and Rhonda Sciortino were among the speakers; Herren speaks at engagements across the country about his addiction to opioids, and Sciortino grew up in a household affected by addiction.
The event also had a “speaker for the dreamer,” Shaun Derek.
“We really want to let them know that we care about them, there are things they can do about it and most young people are drug-free,” he said.
“Young people are what we call ‘sober curious.’ They want to know how to be more sober and do healthier activities instead of things that are harmful for their future.”
A similar summit will take place Wednesday at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington.