CHARLESTON, W.Va. – High school seniors around Kanawha County are gearing up for memorable moments, and local officials are getting together to make sure they are memorable for the right reasons.
2026 marks the 20th year for Operation Graduation Prom Alive (GPA), a collaborative initiative between law enforcement, Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority, Metro 911, Kanawha County Schools, and the Kanawha County Commission to curb impaired, dangerous, and distracted driving around big events for high schoolers.
“We’ve been very successful with this. Graduation Prom Alive has ensured that we have not lost a single student to a tragic event in 20 years, and we’re going to work today to ensure that that’s going to be the case for 21 years next year,” Kanawha County Commissioner Lance Wheeler said.
Operation GPA implements increased law enforcement and emergency services during major events like graduations and proms while also providing funds to high schools for things like increased security and school-sanctioned functions to participate in afterward. Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Dr. Paula Potter has seen Operation GPA’s success from the start.
“We just began aligning all of the proms, all of the graduations, with added police and ambulance protection in those areas to really help students realize people are watching and not to make poor choices that evening,” she said.
Funding for Operation GPA is derived from the county’s public safety levy, and the program itself is the brainchild of former Kanawha County Sheriff and current Metro 911 Director Mike Rutherford. Potter believes the combined effort from so many different people is what makes it all work.
“We always say it takes a village to raise a child. Kanawha County’s village has come together, and we’re helping our students to their next level, and that’s what I think this is all about and why it’s been successful,” she said.
During Thursday’s press conference kicking off the program for 2026, Wheeler presented administrators from each high school in Kanawha County with a check to be used toward Operation GPA projects. Officials pointed repeatedly to the importance of public funds being available to make the program happen.
“The important part is every bit of this is funded by the Commission and the public safety grant. The monies that come forward off of the levy and the grant help us to be able to make sure that we continue this initiative,” Kanawha County Sheriff Joey Crawford said.
Representatives from each law enforcement and first responder agency, school, and the county commission were present on Thursday for the launch of the 2026 program.