The Schuylkill County Youth Conference and Youth Summit representatives from each school in the county have one primary objective: to promote positive actions in high schools. Whether it be staying away from harmful substances such as drugs and alcohol or just showing kindness to those around you, members of both divisions work with school administrators to organize school activities that will ensure students understand the importance of creating a good climate for everyone in the school. Their most recent initiative was aimed at promoting diversity in schools throughout the county.

Members from PAHS focused on trying to show the student body all of the positive aspects of the school. These students wanted to incorporate the TIDE acronym, which stands for tradition, integrity, dedication, excellence, that the district has frequently been using to promote good behavior through the PBIS program. They began by distributing slips in each homeroom that asked about each student’s favorite part about their school.

“While filling out the slip, I said my favorite part of PAHS is the faculty. All of the teachers and administrators are incredibly supportive. It is easy to see that they want all of their students to succeed and have a solid foundation of knowledge for whatever they pursue after graduation,” senior Laura Turnitza said.

Once all of the slips were collected from each homeroom, members organized them based on how they would relate to each of the TIDE letters. To show off the project, the students put large, red letters spelling out “TIDE” outside of the room of Mr. Nathan Halenar, English teacher, and put the slips that correspond with each letter around the decoration.

PAHS representatives for the Youth Conference and Summit include seniors Angela Eckert, Leigha Keitsock, Sophie Murray, Gillian Revenis and Noah Robertson; juniors Francisco Ortiz, Aaron Deleon, Autumn McDonough and Grace Muench; and sophomore Caleb Reedy. All members met with other representatives from throughout the county at Penn State – Schuylkill campus to discuss methods of promoting diversity in schools, which is where the idea bloomed from. Once each school in the county has finished its diversity projects, they will present it to other representatives at a local meeting.

“Being a member of Youth Summit has given me the opportunity to work on cool team projects like this one. All projects seem to show that working together allows for a bigger impact, and I noticed that a lot more people like to see what the young people in our county have to say,” Muench said. “The blue slip project was a great way to promote positivity, but I wish it was in a place where more people could see it.”