It started with the 2024 Fentanyl overdose death of Dunwoody High School student Mia Dieguez. It sparked the actions of a student and group of parents who are rolling out an unconventional campaign to ensure that Dieguez’s death was not in vain.
Dieguez, who died on May 6, 2024, was found unresponsive by a DHS teacher around 11:50 a.m. that day after she ingested the fatal drug and then put her head on a desk during class.
An autopsy released by the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that Dieguez had 4.6 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) of Fentanyl in her system, or twice the lethal amount of Fentanyl.
“Further information disclosed that a minor individual had confessed to giving the decedent OxyContin with a possibly high concentration of THC mixed with the pill, with school administrators in possession of the substance, conveying that they believed the substance contained Fentanyl,” the autopsy report said.
Mady Cohen, now a senior at DHS, said she felt the community was “looking to the high school” on how to prevent a similar tragedy.
“I recognized an issue at the high school after the loss of a student,” Cohen said. “I saw the grief in the community and something needed to be done about it.”
Cohen started Mady’s Narcan Project to provide Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, to every classroom and common area on campus. The nasal spray is a prescription medication used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
She raised $12,000, not only enough to equip the school with the life-saving drug, but also to provide education to faculty on how to recognize the signs of a drug overdose. The grassroots effort spread to other schools, and a Narcan club at the school has formed to carry on Cohen’s work once she graduates.
“I want, as my legacy, for other people to help others without thinking first about what to get in return, and continue to spread the message of the importance of naloxone in the school and the importance of overdose prevention,” Cohen said.
Dunwoody Strong enters the picture
A group of parents felt the same sense of helplessness after Dieguez’s death in May 2024, followed by another nearly fatal drug overdose in August of the same year. In 2025, they formed Dunwoody Strong, a parent volunteer organization focused on empowering the community with “the knowledge and tools to prevent substance misuse, promote mental and emotional health, and foster a supportive environment.”
Parent Ly Douglass, one of the founders, said the nonprofit was formed during a time “when we truly felt helpless, watching our students struggle with mental health and then witnessing the overdose of Mia.”
Douglass, along with Eleanor Remigailo, Amy Halligan, Erin Zack, and other parents, formed the organization because “we had to come up with tools to support our students, our educators, and our parents to combat substance abuse and promote mental health.”
Multi-level approach
The focus was not just educating students; it also involved parents and DHS staff, with the full support of the school’s principal, Tom Bass.
“One of the things we would do at staff meetings is just take a little extra time and bring in a licensed counselor to talk about what our teenagers are struggling with in terms of substance misuse, what the signs are to look for, and what do they actually need,” Remigailo said.
The group raised money to buy cell phone storage boxes for each classroom so that students could “disconnect to reconnect,” Remigailo said. “Kids are struggling with anxiety and struggling with mental health, and phones have something to do with it, and it’s impacting their education.”
Bass said Dunwoody Strong’s “grand idea” has had a huge impact at the school, with its multi-prong efforts to educate the community about the real dangers that today’s teenagers are facing.
“It creates a fabric, an entire safety net where all of us come together as a team to support our kids,” he said. “Dunwoody Strong is now part of the Dunwoody High School community.”
Hidden in plain sight
One of the parents-only initiatives is the Georgia National Guard Counterdrug Task Force’s “Hidden in Plain Sight” trailer, a walk-through experience designed to help parents, caregivers, and other adult community members recognize signs of youth substance use.
or be used as drug paraphernalia. (Screenshot)
The trailer was created to resemble a teenager’s bedroom, which contains everyday items that appear harmless at first glance, but can be used to conceal drugs or paraphernalia.
Parents were tasked with finding up to 40 items in the room, including tools like cell phone charging blocks with hidden compartments and store-bought devices that could be used as drug paraphernalia. With only a small percentage of the planted items discovered, most found the experience of finding the items daunting.
“Wow, five out of 40,” Bass said, after emerging from the Hidden in Plain Sight trailer. “I’ve got a lot to learn, and so do our parents.”
The goal is not to alarm, but to educate and empower adults with the knowledge needed to start informed, proactive conversations with youth, according to a statement by the Georgia National Guard Counterdrug Task Force.
Prom-focused activities
Before Dunwoody’s March 27 prom, Dunwoody Strong illustrated the dangers of impaired driving through several hands-on initiatives. DeKalb School Police Student Resources Officer Chris Chadwick offered students an opportunity to witness firsthand the dangers of impaired driving by donning “drunk” simulator glasses, which distort vision and balance.
“Our motto is that education is not achieved without a safe environment,” Chadwick said. “Our main focus is to keep out all negative influences. The simulations we are doing with these goggles are serious, but the kids think it’s funny. But for me it’s more educational and informative.”
Chadwick said he hopes the students’ participation will help them realize the consequences of impaired driving, including serious injury or death.
Dunwoody Strong, in collaboration with Brown & Brown Wrecker Services, also towed a vehicle to the school that was involved in a crash in November 2025. Douglass said the car, which had been stolen, was involved in a head-on collision on Buford Highway. The driver, in his haste to flee the scene, left his cell phone in the car.
“This [car] is a gentle reminder to all of our kids attending prom this year – you may be a safe driver, but others around you may not be safe,” Douglass said. “Be safe and be smart.”
Other initiatives have included experts from Northside Hospital discussing the health risks associated with vaping, a visit from Angela King, a mother who lost her son, Jack, to an overdose, and resource material about mentally preparing for college.
“We continue with the lead of Dunwoody Strong to address the needs that every high school has,” Bass said. “We are fortunate to have Dunwoody Strong at our high school.”
