Youth Educators, Peer Advisors, Peer Mediators, and Ambassadors were honored for their dedication and hard work on May 29 at the Veterans Hall.
Youth Educator junior Lucia Di Bartolo said the event is an award ceremony for the Wellness center Programs.
“The community is welcome to come and recognize the work that YEds, peer advisors, peer mediators, and ambassadors have contributed to our community and the school,” Di Bartolo said.
Counselor and Youth Educator advisor Ashley English said both Peer Advisors and Youth Educators are programs that allow not only high school students to benefit from their leadership skills but also give back to other students.
“The leadership celebration is a nice way to recognize these students in front of the whole Piedmont community and not only their peers,” English said.
Youth educators work as a team to teach incoming freshman the ropes of high school in a seven-week period.
“Each week we focus on a different topic” Di Bartolo said. “We primarily focus on drugs and alcohol but also body image, sports, and school and how they all tie together.”
Di Bartolo said she will be representing the Youth Educators on stage during the ceremony and will give a speech.
“I was asked by Ting Hsu [Wellness Center director] to address four topics including what the program is, how it has impacted me and the greater community and a specific account during the program,” Di Bartolo said.
Di Bartolo thinks it is important for these programs to be recognized because each student has dedicated so much time and effort.
“Everyone is really proud of their work and it’s exciting that they get to share their pride with the larger community,” Di Bartolo said.
Senior Eliza Kauffman will be giving a speech on behalf of the peer advisors program.
Peer advisors work with one another in groups to plan lessons and activities for underclassmen, covering things similar to Youth Educators like drugs, alcohol, stress, and relationships.
“These programs are a step in the right direction toward promoting a healthy, open, and kind learning environment,” Kauffman said.
Kauffman thinks it is important to give this kind of recognition because students involved commit a lot of time to putting together lessons and activities that do not always get noticed.
“I hope that by giving recognition to participants in this setting will encourage more people to get involved,” Kauffman said.