Last night's Portage la Prairie School Board meeting honoured the efforts of Barry Rud in educating students about addictions.

Rud says the recognition means a lot. He notes Portage Collegiate was one of the original nine schools in 1992, that were part of the Rural and Northern Youth Strategy.

"It was a great program that put counsellors right in the schools," he says, "To provide support and assistance to young people who were either dealing with addictions of their own, or living with the addictions of someone else in their family. As well as providing basic alcohol/drug information to young people, to help them make good decisions."

Division Superintendent Todd Cuddington says it was important to highlight what was accomplished.

"For many years, the Division has been addressing student wellness," he says,"And a big part of that is the education piece around addictions and mental health. Barry's been instrumental in delivering that program for many years in this division, and I think it's important for the trustees and the community to know what work has gone on in our schools."

Rud feels it's important continue providing these services to students while they're still young, and finding their way.