'Prevenger' character teaches children about drug abuse
Dec. 3—In the dramatic story in "The ASAP Prevenger" comic book, a heroine known as 'Prevenger' freezes the Icky Nicky character with her icy breath.
"That will teach Icky Nicky to quit smoking," she tells the readers, elementary-age students who need to learn the dangers of cigarettes and other forms of tobacco.
In another riveting scene, the heroine zaps Li'l Boozie with her laser-focused eyes.
"It's time you should sober up," she warns.
Her antics are harsher than those of the employees of the Oxford-based Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention, which serves communities in Calhoun and Cleburne counties. However, she shares the same goal of preventing drug abuse and especially educating students about its dangers. ASAP's leaders decided a comic book was a good way to reach children, and they seem to be correct. They have conducted research to measure the effectiveness of the books and found children can repeat the lessons learned after reading it.
On Thursday, Quiera Lane, a prevention specialist at the Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention, delivered comic books to Weaver Elementary School. They had been illustrated and written by a previous intern at ASAP, Destini Elston, and tell the story of how the ASAP Prevenger battles two other villains representative of other types of abuse. The characters Vaponator, who uses the vape devices, which are shown to cause lung problems, and Split-Dose, who abuses prescription medications.
"We feel this is an important and creative way for the students to learn about substance misuse and the dangers," Lane said. "The book has interactive pages and can be something the students and their guardians can read and work on together, which will allow the students to ask questions."
The books were first delivered to Weaver fifth-graders who won a robot-making contest among Calhoun County's schools sponsored by ASAP.
"They loved the books," said Tawana Bonds, the guidance counselor at Weaver Elementary, after she distributed them during a class party. "I heard them talking among themselves about the pictures."
More comic books will be delivered to other students soon.
ASAP has programs for older students, too, and a Weaver Elementary School sixth-grader won a $100 gift card to Big Time Entertainment in another competition.
The Oxford City Council has provided enough funds for all elementary-age students in its school system to receive a comic book, and Alabama Power Company has provided funds for other students in Calhoun County to be able to own a book.
Lane said the comic books have been so popular that ASAP plans to create additional stories in future editions.
"This is a creative and innovative way students can learn about the dangers of the substances they may hear about in the community," Lane said.
