Spotlight Post - ICS Zurich | Private International IB World School

Empowering Students. Supporting Families. Shaping Healthy Futures.

Katie Greeley returned last week to ICS to work with our Middle and Senior School cohort (Grades 7–12). She has delivered prevention education in schools across the United States and in over 30 countries worldwide. Katie presents an evidence-based, age-appropriate curriculum, drawing on her years of clinical experience, research, professional training in prevention, and her perspective as an individual in healthy recovery from addiction.

Prevention Ed provides comprehensive curricula designed to support student wellbeing, with a focus on substance use prevention, mental health, and social-emotional learning.

Many of our students, staff, and wonderful parent community worked with Katie during the previous academic year, and her return to campus was very well received, with students demonstrating strong curiosity and engagement. This year’s curriculum was thoughtfully designed to build on her earlier visit and included the addition of gambling as a topic within the prevention education programme. As a presenter, Katie engages each audience with warmth and professionalism, tailoring her approach to meet the needs of each cohort, age range, as well as parents and staff. Gone are the days of the D.A.R.E. and “Just Say No” models commonly seen in the 1990s, replaced instead with a more holistic, well-rounded educational experience that empowers young people to understand risk, think critically, and make healthy, informed choices.

Katie’s ICS online webinar this week was very well attended, with parents and guardians joining from across our whole school community. It is never too early to equip ourselves with the skills and up-to-date knowledge to support young people through prevention education!

Middle School Focus- What is addiction? The Why. Alcohol, Nicotine, and Cannabis. Skills and Mental Health.

Senior School Focus- If I Knew then What I Know Now. The Developing Brain and Alcohol. Cannabis, Vaping, and Other Drugs. Knowing Ourselves, Helping Others, and Staying Healthy.

Top 5 for Our Community - As a follow-up, here are five key takeaways we covered:

Delaying Use = Less Risk
Every year you delay drinking, vaping, or trying other substances, you lower your chances of developing a substance use disorder later in life. That’s not about fear. It’s about giving your brain and body time to grow strong and smart.

Know Your FACTSS
Everyone’s risk is different. The FACTSS model helps us understand how:
Family History, Age of First Use, Cravings, Tolerance, Surroundings, Stress.
Which of these apply to you? Knowing your personal risk factors gives you more control over your choices. Some are in your control like Age of First Use, same are not like family history.

Think Before You Click
Ads and influencers do not always have your best interests at heart. The next time you see a post or video pushing a product, especially one that claims to be “safe,” “natural,” or “risk-free,” ask yourself:

What is this company’s goal?

How are they trying to hook me?

What might they be leaving out?

It’s Okay to Be the One Who Doesn’t
Most students aren’t drinking or using drugs, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. At every school we visit, students tend to overestimate how much their peers are using. You don’t need to follow a crowd that doesn’t really exist.

Your Voice = Power
Whether you're checking in on a friend, setting a boundary, or just asking questions, your voice matters. The more you talk honestly about substance use, mental health, and stress, the more you help create a safer, healthier school community.

Here are some resources you can choose to access, should you wish to engage in further conversations with your children.

Parents' Permissiveness with Alcohol: A Childhood Safeguarding Issue