Story by: Jordan Wubbena and Photo by: Lia Hanchett
Sources of Strength
Jordan Wubbena
Sources of Strength (S.O.S) provides a chance for students to be leaders in the school by spreading positive messages and supporting others. Sources of Strength peer leaders are a group of students who are chosen by their seminar teachers due to their enthusiasm and leadership skills.
This group provides help and assistance to anyone who feels alone or in need by coming up with new ideas about how to recognize everyone's strengths: Family Support, Positive Friends, Mentors, Healthy Activities, Generosity, Spirituality, Medical Access, and Mental Health.
Every seminar has one or more S.O.S peer leaders who take charge and direct the Sources of Strength activities. Peer leaders and seminar teachers receive an email informing them of new projects focusing on different strengths each week, and plan seminar activities accordingly.
So far, the S.O.S group has focused on Friends, Family, Mentors, and Generosity.
The students and teachers involved with S.O.S have talked about and been trained in the many ways to prevent major problems in Douglas County such as suicide, violence, bullying and substance abuse.
Tim Farrow, the school Psychologist and S.O.S leader, has already held meetings about how the club can prevent suicide. “I want all TRHS students to know that if they are struggling, there are adults and students in the building who care about them and want to help” says Farrow.
At ThunderRidge, the S.O.S peer leader group has already made an impact. They have brainstormed ideas about creating social media sites and using the hashtag #trwhatsyourSOS to recognize the different sources, particularly friends and family.
There have been over 100 tweets using the hashtag, and seminar teachers have taken pictures of their seminars that they use to create group S.O.S. posts on Instagram and Twitter.
Both students and teachers have gotten involved in the S.O.S. Twitter campaign, including Danielle Hir (@msHir_math), who tweets “My seminar, friends and family are my sources of strength! Especially @_milliewarwick #TRwhatsyourSOS”.
Many students tweeted about their friends. @sammikluber tweets, “@rileyy_lahr @ashley_sage12 you guys make history 3847473 time better ily 💕”.
Other students had a little fun with the hashtag, like @zacharykeithh who tweets, “senior ladies #trwhatsyoursos” and @MaddieWardd2 who says, “#trwhatsyoursos the sophomore boys.”
The social media blast has taken the school by storm, helping to accomplish S.O.S’s goal of reaching all students in the school with a positive message.
“I was very happy with the social media blast project. As a staff member it's really cool to do things with social media because the students are so much better at it than we would be. We’ll have a lot more messaging campaigns over the course of the year, and I'm confident we'll be able to spread some great messages through the school” explains Farrow.
Christine Dardzinski, an ASL teacher at ThunderRidge who helps out with S.O.S, says her biggest goal is “to help Sources of Strength grow and really have it be part of the everyday environment here at ThunderRidge. Also, it goes without saying, [to help it] be a Source of Strength”.
Outside almost every door there are S.O.S. posters, some with examples of where students find their strength; evidence that S.O.S. has been helping the school support a safe environment where people can feel like they belong.
“I really enjoy how much [S.O.S] connects with both students and teachers”, says freshman Abby Johannesman.
When students come to school, they should feel at home and be surrounded by friends; S.O.S. helps set that tone for everyone when they first walk in.
Peer leaders want to show everyone at TRHS that nobody is alone. They want to help anyone who feels overwhelmed or depressed.
Even though it is a lot of work to be a peer leader for S.O.S., it turns out to be both fun and empowering because students can have an impact on the lives of their peers.
Students who aren’t involved with S.O.S can do the same by calling or texting the TRHS tip line, and possibly saving a life.
Jordan Wubbena
Sources of Strength (S.O.S) provides a chance for students to be leaders in the school by spreading positive messages and supporting others. Sources of Strength peer leaders are a group of students who are chosen by their seminar teachers due to their enthusiasm and leadership skills.
This group provides help and assistance to anyone who feels alone or in need by coming up with new ideas about how to recognize everyone's strengths: Family Support, Positive Friends, Mentors, Healthy Activities, Generosity, Spirituality, Medical Access, and Mental Health.
Every seminar has one or more S.O.S peer leaders who take charge and direct the Sources of Strength activities. Peer leaders and seminar teachers receive an email informing them of new projects focusing on different strengths each week, and plan seminar activities accordingly.
So far, the S.O.S group has focused on Friends, Family, Mentors, and Generosity.
The students and teachers involved with S.O.S have talked about and been trained in the many ways to prevent major problems in Douglas County such as suicide, violence, bullying and substance abuse.
Tim Farrow, the school Psychologist and S.O.S leader, has already held meetings about how the club can prevent suicide. “I want all TRHS students to know that if they are struggling, there are adults and students in the building who care about them and want to help” says Farrow.
At ThunderRidge, the S.O.S peer leader group has already made an impact. They have brainstormed ideas about creating social media sites and using the hashtag #trwhatsyourSOS to recognize the different sources, particularly friends and family.
There have been over 100 tweets using the hashtag, and seminar teachers have taken pictures of their seminars that they use to create group S.O.S. posts on Instagram and Twitter.
Both students and teachers have gotten involved in the S.O.S. Twitter campaign, including Danielle Hir (@msHir_math), who tweets “My seminar, friends and family are my sources of strength! Especially @_milliewarwick #TRwhatsyourSOS”.
Many students tweeted about their friends. @sammikluber tweets, “@rileyy_lahr @ashley_sage12 you guys make history 3847473 time better ily 💕”.
Other students had a little fun with the hashtag, like @zacharykeithh who tweets, “senior ladies #trwhatsyoursos” and @MaddieWardd2 who says, “#trwhatsyoursos the sophomore boys.”
The social media blast has taken the school by storm, helping to accomplish S.O.S’s goal of reaching all students in the school with a positive message.
“I was very happy with the social media blast project. As a staff member it's really cool to do things with social media because the students are so much better at it than we would be. We’ll have a lot more messaging campaigns over the course of the year, and I'm confident we'll be able to spread some great messages through the school” explains Farrow.
Christine Dardzinski, an ASL teacher at ThunderRidge who helps out with S.O.S, says her biggest goal is “to help Sources of Strength grow and really have it be part of the everyday environment here at ThunderRidge. Also, it goes without saying, [to help it] be a Source of Strength”.
Outside almost every door there are S.O.S. posters, some with examples of where students find their strength; evidence that S.O.S. has been helping the school support a safe environment where people can feel like they belong.
“I really enjoy how much [S.O.S] connects with both students and teachers”, says freshman Abby Johannesman.
When students come to school, they should feel at home and be surrounded by friends; S.O.S. helps set that tone for everyone when they first walk in.
Peer leaders want to show everyone at TRHS that nobody is alone. They want to help anyone who feels overwhelmed or depressed.
Even though it is a lot of work to be a peer leader for S.O.S., it turns out to be both fun and empowering because students can have an impact on the lives of their peers.
Students who aren’t involved with S.O.S can do the same by calling or texting the TRHS tip line, and possibly saving a life.