Sources of Strength is a new organization that we offer at Bellevue High School. Mr. Hurst is one of six teacher advisors to this organization; the others are Mrs. Britton, Mr. Siesel, Mrs. Fisher, Mr. Rich, and Mrs. Young. Mr. Hurst shared, “Sources of Strength is a group of students from all corners of the school, coming together with a common goal of improving school culture and spreading messages of hope, help, and strength. Sources of Strength is based on the idea that there are 8 main sources of strength – physical health, mental health, healthy activities, positive friends, family support, mentors, generosity, and spirituality. Our peer leaders and adult advisors collaborate to plan campaigns within our school to help every student connect with what makes them strong in tough times.”
There are 40 kids in Sources of Strength this year. They are, Seniors: Brooke Childers, Allison Gerhardstein, Eva Hancock, Kyra Henney, Elaina King, Cody Lindsey, Kasey Miller, Caidyn Nunez, and Hailey Singleton. Juniors include Tyson Baptista, Hannah Decker, Sam Doster, Sienna Fisher, Claire Freitage, Ethan Gish, Maisyn Groves, Jillian Kinnear, Colin Magers, Lydia Wright, and Johnny Zilch. The Sophomores are Ava Cloud, Ava Duffield, Logan Hartman, Carlee Holmer, Lue Howland, Cricket Immele, Julia Marbaugh, Caleb Martin, Brock Meacham, MyahAnn Reesman, Brooke Webb, and Reece Young. Freshman members include Kate Baptista, Evan Bova, James Gish, Isaac Good, Kolt Lewis, Sage Middleswarth, Aubree Valko, and Dalton Weiker.
Many kids ask “What are Sources of Strength?” A member of Sources of Strength, Kasey Miller said, “Sources of Strength is a student and staff organization that focuses on creating peer mentors to support others. The organization focuses on the positives instead of the negatives and we try to spread positive messages of hope and strength through social media, art, and our voices.” Another member Colin Magers shared, “Sources Of Strength are peer leaders who try to spread positivity, increase school engagement, bring awareness to suicide, and prevent bullying. Everything we do as an organization is based on the Sources Of Strength wheel.”
People should get involved with Sources of Strength because it takes more than one person’s voice to make a change. Mr. Hurst said, “Everyone should get involved with Sources of Strength because our message focuses on a sense of belonging in our school. We value the experiences and input from individuals all across our school!”
Kasey Miller stated, “Our messages can’t be spread without the help of others and we rely on our peers to be peer leaders.” They need the help of others to make a difference no matter what grade they are in. Everyone in the high school plays a major role in helping spread the message and awareness. By spreading the message, we can get kids more involved by wanting to learn what the organization does. Colin Magers said, “I wish more people got involved with Sources of Strength because it can actually help people mentally and physically.”
No matter what is going on at home, Sources Of Strength is a place where you can go for help without getting judged for it. Even though Sources of Strength is new to our school, the impact it can make can make a difference. Kasey Miller said, “Sources of Strength is made to support individuals, but also aims to bring the whole school together to support each other. By including the whole school in our mission, we are able to spread our messages faster.” Currently, Sources of Strength is accepting submissions for their Positivity Board. See the QR code on the display or refer to Mrs. Britton’s email to submit a response. Students and staff can see the Positivity Board outside of Mr. Hurst’s room.
Sources of Strength will help you as a person and help you realize that you are never alone. You never know what someone else is going through so being kind and being there for them will go a long way. Sources of Strength may be new to our school but it is such a great organization to get involved with. Being a part of it can really help you throughout your high school career.
By: Carissa Snezek
#gored #redpride #sourcesofstrength
Bellevue High School 