Mercedes not Ms. Foster, Anne not Ms. Peacock, Brent not Mr. Daniels. Given names only. In the first week of summer, 55 PHS and MHS students, along with eight teachers from both schools, traveled to the foothills of Santa Cruz, throwing away titles and formality for four days. This is Camp Everytown, a self-described youth leadership development program that promotes non-violent campus communities.

“By taking away the teacher-student paradigm, we can change the perspective and allow students to see teachers as [people],” Principal Brent Daniels said.

The informality is only one part of the Camp Everytown program’s core tenets of respect, acceptance and responsibility.

“It’s an opportunity for Piedmont and Millenium students to come together to appreciate diversity and provide leadership for other students,” Daniels said.

Junior Anna Morris felt her experience on a more personal level.

“I think it changed my school year,” Morris said. “I don’t live in Piedmont and biased against some of the students; I was scared going in, but I got to know them a lot of them better, and a lot of people have a desire to change the school like I did.”

Sophomore Alisha Lewis also felt closer to her peers after camp.

“It gave me a lot more empathy,” Lewis said.  “I know these people so well, but I didn’t know half these these things about them and that’s amazing to me.”

Among the myriad of issues explored, gender had a particular weight, Lewis said.

“The guys and girls would write stereotypes,” Lewis said. “It would get heated. We had to learn that we weren’t expressing ourselves in the right way.”

Hard discussions open up the possibility of change, Daniels said.

“Students are going to realize they have more in common than not and they can work together to create change and a positive learning environment,” Daniels said.

Teachers will nominate rising sophomores, juniors and seniors who demonstrate strong leadership potential for next year’s camp.