Oconomowoc High School (OHS) Counselor, Scott Bakkum, has been invited to serve a second term on the State Superintendent's Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Advisory (AODA) Council. Bakkum was invited to serve a second term because of his demonstrated interest in health and safety issues for students.
Bakkum has been a school counselor at OHS for the past 23 years and the District AODA program coordinator for the past eight years. In that role, he has authored and been awarded State and local AODA grants that have supported innovative programming within the OASD. As AODA coordinator, Bakkum has also strengthened the District's partnership with community organizations like Rosecrance, Your Choice to Live, Waukesha Family Service, and Gals Institute. He has been instrumental in the creation of a new position in the OASD, the Student Success Counselor, who works with students returning from AODA or mental health treatment facilities to develop a long-term support plan at the OASD.
Bakkum led efforts to provide NARCAN training opportunities for OASD staff and played a crucial role in the implementation of the random drug testing policy and procedures and the AODA consequences progression for students within the District. This work has helped identify students in need of support and provided a refusal strategy for both intermediate and high school students to use among their peers.
OASD Director of Student Services, Dyanna Kadrich, congratulated Mr. Bakkum by saying, "Scott is a renowned leader in this work across the state and within our region. His commitment to supporting students and families within our district and across the state is unparalleled. Scott's work has increased AODA funding, programs, and initiatives within the OASD so much that area districts look to Scott for mentorship and support as they model their AODA systems after ours."
Bakkum will serve his second term as an AODA council member through July 2023.
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Mr. Scott Bakkum
About the State Superintendent's Advisory Council for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse
The State Superintendent's Advisory Council for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) Programs has legislative responsibility for AODA programs, grants, and services, but not in isolation from other related youth risk behaviors including: tobacco prevention, AIDS/HIV/STDs; violence prevention; teen pregnancy prevention; and youth suicide prevention.
Additional information available on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website.