August 27, 2026, Seward Folly Staff

The Seward Prevention Coalition (SPC) has quietly become the anchor for youth and family well-being in Seward, adapting as needs and circumstances shift. At present, ten employees work at SPC, led by director Katie Cornwell, who came to the coalition as its only employee in 2013. SPC now manages Youth360, Sources of Strength, HYPER, Bloom, Safe Harbor, Elementary School Prevention and Support Specialist, and the Community Partnerships Program at the high school. 

This year, when federal funding for school counselors ran out, the coalition stepped up to keep Christy Jordan in her vital role supporting elementary students, even if it meant fewer hours and a different contract. The hope is that broader support, maybe from new federal initiatives, will eventually restore the position to full time. But for now, it’s about making sure students keep the trusted adults they need.

Transitions like this have become familiar. Another change this year is merging the middle school into the high school. Andrew Scrivo, who works directly with the students in his role with SPC’s Sources of Strength, says this “is a really positive thing. Having one building, kids, more teachers, to share. We have way more electives. We have Doug Dye in one place. We have Henry Burns in one place. That’s huge.” 

Jenn DesErmia, another longtime SPC staffer, took on a new role as community partnerships coordinator — a position created through a collaboration with Seward Education Advocates. The idea is to break down barriers between schools, local businesses, and organizations, making sure opportunities reach every student, not just the ones with personal connections. 

A major driver behind these changes is SPC’s adoption of the Icelandic Prevention Model through their Youth360 program. The strategy from Iceland focuses on building protective factors, delaying substance use, and supporting kids with data-driven decisions.

“We had a community planning event in the fall of 2019, and the community selected the Icelandic model as a long-term initiative for our community. That’s where it started. Of course we had like a perfect storm, you know, through COVID and shutdown.”

-Andrew Scrivo

Scrivo, director of the program, recalls its origins. “We had a community planning event in the fall of 2019, and the community selected the Icelandic model as a long-term initiative for our community. That’s where it started. Of course we had like a perfect storm, you know, through COVID and shutdown.”

Scrivo, a former teacher in Seward, describes “how the disruption and collective trauma, having to be disengaged, and then all those barriers to reengaging, it was a really important time for us to come forward with this prevention model. This is more than just going back out and doing the things you used to do. Like, this is prevention work; this is healthy.”

It was a sweeping change from the “business as usual” prior to COVID. 

photo: SPC

Youth360 uses the elements of the Icelandic model to collect local student data to understand what’s happening with Seward’s youth, and uses that information to drive their programs. Seward Students in grades 8–10 will take the Planet Youth Survey this fall. It will be the third survey cycle and is critical for analyzing trends. The impact shows in the data: since 2019, youth alcohol use in Seward has dropped by more than half, and more kids are reporting healthy activities, stronger connections, and support from adults.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in help-seeking behaviors, a huge increase in healthy activities, especially physical fitness, kids engaged in outdoor activities, mentors, favorable attitudes towards school. There’s also a big decrease in substance use as far as alcohol,” according to Scrivo. 

The State of the Icelandic Prevention Model (IPM) in Alaska highlights Seward as an established IPM community and recognizes the progress being made through the Seward Prevention Coalition’s Youth360 program. It’s now considered a model statewide.

SPC’s reach goes beyond schools. Its Safe Harbor program,  according to Cornwell, “with just one and a half staff members, supports survivors of domestic and sexual assault, coordinating with police, courts, and hospitals, and arranging emergency accommodations in local hotels when needed.”

“There’s no dedicated shelter in Seward, so every piece of support matters,” says Cornwell. “The DVSA Safe Harbor program is the direct advocate for anybody in our community that’s trying to get out of the unsafe home.” 

The coalition also runs the Seward Children’s Museum (Rhonda Bohart), supports childcare advocacy through HYPER (Casie Warner), manages the infant and prenatal program Bloom (Melanie Smith), and leads projects like Sources of Strength — each one filling a different gap in the community safety net.

Underlying all this is a deep commitment to collaboration. SPC’s monthly meetings bring together people from every corner of Seward — schools, law enforcement, health, business, and more. Over time, the coalition has made collaboration a job requirement, so that support doesn’t disappear when someone moves on.