Michele Stroh and Maureen Paloaro were named as Oregon City Together’s Prevention Champions of the Year during the Oregon City School District Board meeting on March 13th. The annual award recognizes outstanding leadership and commitment to preventing youth substance abuse in Oregon City.
Maureen Palaoro gives award to Michele Stroh
Oregon City School District Board Member Michele Stroh is a strong advocate for raising awareness about the risks of drug use, focusing primarily on the deadly risks of fentanyl and fake pills. “Michele’s work is well-known in our community, across Oregon and even nationally,” says OCT Member Brian Shaw, one of last year’s award recipients. “Her son died from fentanyl poisoning and she works tirelessly to make sure this tragedy does not happen to other families.”
Brian Shaw gives award to Maureen Palaoro
Maureen Palaoro, a health teacher at Gardiner Middle School, has served as OCT’s chair since 2021. “Maureen’s passion for prevention shines through in both these roles,” says Shaw. “Her commitment to the well-being of youth is essential to the coalition’s prevention efforts.” He adds, “as an example, Maureen was pivotal in bringing an exciting new program called BrainAbouts to Oregon City’s two middle schools last fall to increase awareness of the risks of early drug use and teach skills to support healthy choices.”
