Leadership groups work to turn dreams into reality
As campus leadership groups work to make the school community a more cohesive and better place for students and staff, few who benefit from their contributions reflect on the work involved.
Peer Leaders Uniting Students (PLUS) is a leadership group whose goal is to connect the campus, faculty and students
to each other. By listening to student suggestions and creating solutions to issues on campus, PLUS manages to connect students each month.
“I like being on PLUS because I can help change our school,” senior PLUS member Alyssa Ishimoto said. “I have the ability to come up with ideas and watch [them] be implemented. The first step to bettering our campus is improving our
school connectedness.”
Most of the ideas that PLUS uses come from the students. Relevant issues such as bullying or academic stress are discussed during monthly forums to resolve these issues. PLUS members discuss suggested solutions, whether or not they can be implemented and being a good volunteer.
The Associated Student Body (ASB) is another organization that promotes school-wide activities such as chartering clubs, organizing class competitions and planning dances.
“I wish more people could be a part of [ASB], but I am glad that we have so many leadership groups involved in the school,” senior and Commissioner of Clubs Shannon Nakamura said. Link Crew’s goal is to create a welcoming environment to introduce freshmen to the school.
“[Link Crew leaders] mentor freshmen and make sure they are included and informed about everything They also work to create a better campus by hosting activities such as Red Ribbon week, Yellow Ribbon week and Teacher Appreciation week. Service Learning, another leadership program, creates projects that benefit not only the campus, but also people outside of
school. Behind all the events Service Learning hosts, there is a lot of planning and preparation.
Starting this year, the club is launching a blog to archive everything the members do and to recap events. In addition to their work on events throughout the school, Service Learning Leadership students engage in a specific curriculum that teaches members about leadership development, nonprofit organizations that happens at Peninsula,” senior Link Crew leader Gabrielle Allen said. “We also make sure everyone on campus feels welcomed and supported by upperclassmen.”
Before all the activities take place, Link Crew often teams up with fellow school leadership groups to combine efforts in promoting the well-being of students.
“Link Crew is about creating a positive school environment [for the next generation of students],” Link Crew Advisor Rebecka Dibble said. “Even though some people are not aware of the impact we have on our school’s culture, I can say that we absolutely do make a difference in Peninsula.”
Behind the scenes of each school event, Peninsula’s leadership programs offer many activities and projects to help bring all students, teachers and faculty on campus together. “As long as we know the students are ecstatic to be part of Peninsula, that is all we can ask for,” senior Link Crew leader Kayleen Hino said.
