Toppenish School District has been awarded up to $7.5 million through Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education), a federal grant administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The funding will provide up to $1.5 million annually over five years to expand mental health services, strengthen substance use prevention and intervention, and improve access to support for Toppenish students.

The district is grateful for this grant and the opportunity to work alongside students, staff, families, and community partners to develop services that reflect local needs. Project AWARE will help connect students with support earlier, strengthen relationships between schools and service providers, and address challenges that can affect students’ well-being and ability to learn.

The district’s pursuit of this funding was informed by feedback from staff who work directly with students and see where additional resources could make a difference.

“One of the most important responsibilities we have as district leaders is to listen to the people who work most closely with our students and respond to the needs they are seeing,” said Superintendent Dr. Toron Wooldridge. “Our staff have identified a need for additional support in areas such as drug and alcohol counseling. This grant gives us an opportunity to respond to those concerns with meaningful resources and build stronger systems of support for our students and families.”

The funding will help expand access to drug and alcohol counseling, strengthen districtwide prevention education and early intervention, and connect students with timely individualized support and community services.

The grant provides funds to support the introduction of new positions within the Toppenish School District. The lead role for the grant oversight and administration, a project director, has been posted, marking an important first step in bringing this important work to life. Positions for an LEA project manager and a substance use and behavioral health coordinator will be posted soon, followed by positions for direct service roles including drug and alcohol specialists/counselors and family engagement specialists in the next few weeks. All positions will be based on the 5-year grant period in this new district initiative.

Toppenish School District looks forward to welcoming the project team and sharing updates as services take shape and grow over the next five years.

“This is an incredible opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students,” said Toppenish High School Principal Angela Purdy. “When we listen to students, understand the challenges they’re facing, and connect them with the right resources and people, we create opportunities for them to thrive. I’m excited to see how this investment will strengthen the support we provide and the relationships we build with our students and families.”