April was National Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month, which shines a light on sexual assault and how it impacts our communities. Springdale JCC’s Wellness Manager Jessica Anderson wanted students to contribute to the discussion about preventing sexual assault through presentations and activities. “I gave students posters to color and asked for volunteers to create a presentation board to discuss the different parts of assault awareness and how to prevent it.”

Students colored the posters using crayons, markers, and paints. Some students took the coloring challenge as an opportunity to express their own experiences with sexual assault. “One student was very particular in how they colored the poster and created a key on the back explaining what each color meant and its significance to them,” Jessica explained. “I wasn’t sure how our students would react to the coloring challenge, but they really approached it with sensitivity and maturity.”

Health Occupations student Kali Onderdonk created a information board on consent. She included information on what consent is and how to establish strong boundaries in relationships. “It means a lot to me to bring awareness to sexual assault,” she said. “Telling other students what consent is and how strong boundaries are good to have.”

The information board and art were on display for all students to see as they entered Springdale’s cafeteria. Interested students could stop and read the information and admire the work students put into the coloring contest.

“Overall I think this was a successful way to bring this conversation up,” Jessica Anderson explained. “I hope students are able to talk to each other and to the Wellness staff about these important topics.”