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Rochester High HOSA students present heart‑health and addiction‑awareness initiatives to council
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Summary
Rochester High School HOSA students presented two community projects: 'Hope for Heart' — a heart‑health awareness campaign with CPR/AED training and prevention tips — and 'Break the Loop' — a youth addiction awareness program proposing micro‑interventions, anonymous QR habit tracking and peer‑leader training. Council members praised the work and offered to help connect students with community partners.
Two student teams from Rochester High School presented community awareness projects to the Rochester Hills City Council on March 23.
Hope for Heart: students Johanna Wesley, Marwa Alhasnawi, Stella Zanotti, Rachel Burke and Brooklyn Bridal described a campaign to increase heart‑health awareness. They cited national and local cardiovascular statistics (sourced from the Michigan Cardiovascular Disease Center in their slides), described school‑based CPR and AED trainings they organized for 400 students, and recommended lifestyle steps: healthy eating, increased activity, quitting tobacco, stress management, monitoring vitals and regular medical checkups. Students said the CDC estimates 80% of heart‑related issues are preventable through lifestyle changes and urged families and schools to expand preventative measures.
Break the Loop: Chloe Zhang and partner Anusha presented a project focused on everyday forms of dependency among teens — caffeine overuse, excessive social media and gaming — and proposed low‑burden community responses: 5–10 minute recurring micro‑intervention check‑ins in school clubs and teams, anonymous QR‑code habit tracking to gather local data while preserving privacy, a step‑down resource model offering achievable habit changes, drop‑in supportive spaces at libraries and community centers, and training peer leaders to recognize early signs of dependency.
Council reaction: Council members praised both presentations. Miss Neubauer and Vice President Mangioli encouraged students to connect with Rochester Area Youth Assistance, the Rochester Auburn Hills Community Coalition and school‑district staff; they offered to help make introductions and post the presentations on city social media.
Next steps: students said they have raised approximately $500 for earlier efforts and plan activist weeks, pilot micro‑interventions and continued outreach; council offered to facilitate connections with community organizations and school district contacts.
