SXU Nursing Students Participate in Red Ribbon Week
Saint Xavier University (SXU) nursing students recently participated in Red Ribbon Week, a drug awareness campaign, at Most Holy Redeemer School, bolstering the school's students' knowledge of health-related behaviors supporting drug-free living through fun, interactive activities.
The high-impact learning and service activity was highly beneficial for the eight junior nursing students enrolled in SXU's Holistic Care Clinical Practice II course. The course's curriculum includes concepts of the provision of care applied in community health, maternal-obstetric, and pediatric settings.
During the community health clinical, SXU student nurses learn to apply evidence-based practice in a school setting, aligning knowledge of growth and development of school-aged children with community-based health initiatives. The student nurses initially complete a comprehensive survey of the community, collaboratively collecting information about its citizens, their resources, needs, and environment. This community assessment, also known as a windshield survey, provides valuable data to support a health initiative.
For Red Ribbon Week, the eight student nurses divided into groups of three, working with students from Pre-K through eighth grade. They explored current evidence-based literature, created and presented PowerPoints, and facilitated activities reinforcing the specific concepts.
The PowerPoints explored themed concepts including: Monday Mindfulness, Tasty Tuesday, Workout Wednesday, Thankful Thursday, and Favorites Friday. The student nurses tailored each presentation to the growth and development of Most Holy Redeemer's student population while also including other pertinent or creatively interesting information.
"This experience gave us the opportunity to glimpse into the world of a pediatric population and plant that seed for healthy living," said nursing student Kelsey.
"Meaningful learning happens when students do more than listen -- when they practice. In our nursing program, hands-on experiences empower students to connect classroom knowledge to real patient care, resulting in deeper learning and truly impactful skill development," added nursing student Kelly.
After completing the teaching presentations, the student nurses collaborated with SXU Visual Arts Center ambassador Bill Avorio, who produced beautifully-laminated Red Ribbon Week 2025 posters for the school.
The participating nursing students found the experience to be deeply meaningful and rewarding.
"Society tends to focus more on health initiatives for older children, including adolescents and young adults. Our teaching project provided school-aged children with building blocks for the foundation of healthy living," said nursing student Brittney.
"We demonstrated the importance of primary prevention -- teaching health concepts to young children and helping them prevent illness and refrain from unhealthy behaviors, avoiding the need for treatment down the road," added nursing student Jacky.
The program had positive assessment findings and strong engagement from Most Holy Redeemer students. SXU nursing students look forward to continuing to make an impact on the community.
"It's been such a privilege working for and with our student nurses. I have the pleasure of witnessing them live out the SXU mission and values within our communities. They are truly making a difference, one child at a time!" said Mariann Kerley, nursing professor.