Resilience Banner
Oregon City Together and AP Psych students partnered up to create the banner which was signed by OCHS students during lunch on Friday, May 23rd, 2025. There are so many empowering messages from the students. Some of the students chose to share what keeps them resilient, and others chose to share uplifting messages for their peers.
Many thanks to Laura Jeffrey, Noah Wezensky and their 3rd period AP Psych students for their thoughtful creativity on this campaign!
Press release in the OC News
Oregon City, OR . . . More than 100 students at Oregon City High School wrote what they do to be resilient on a large banner last Friday as part of a peer-to-peer campaign called “Resilience isn’t Born, it’s Built! The campaign was designed by the school’s advanced placement psychology (APS) class and includes posters distributed throughout the school district and community, as well as bracelets and stress relievers shaped like bricks with the campaign theme.
The effort was funded by an Oregon City Youth Opioid Prevention Grant to the Oregon City Together Coalition. Oregon City Mayor Denyse McGriff, Police Chief Shaun Davis, Captain David Edwins, School Resource Officer David Plummer and several coalition members joined the students to acknowledge their work.
“We were impressed with how the students helped each other,” said Anne Haynes who heads up the coalition. “It’s vital for youth to have strong social, problem-solving and emotional regulation skills. And in many cases, the best people to help students develop these skills are other students. She adds that peer-to-peer efforts are effective because students know the pressures, the schedules and the social dynamics faced by other students and can offer advice that makes sense in their daily lives.
Advice like don’t worry so much about mistakes because “I’ve messed up a lot in my life but each mistake made me stronger.” shared by APS class member, Gus Murino-Brault. A sampling of what other students wrote on the banner about supporting their own resiliency include; connecting with friends, asking for help when I need it, listening to music, playing sports and family.
“Peer-to-peer campaigns like this one send a message that students are not alone and are in this together,” said Haynes. “We hope to have funding from the city again so we can continue the campaign this fall.”
The Oregon Together Coalition is the only organization in Oregon City that focuses solely on preventing youth substance use. The coalition has been serving Oregon City youth and their families for more than 13 years. Its members include educators, business and community leaders, law enforcement, parents and county public health professionals.