2016 Middle School Peer Leadership Conference
Peer Leadership
Emphasizing Positive Change
at the 2016 Peer Leadership
Middle School Conference
Sharing
ideas for positive change was the reason that two hundred students from
thirteen Long Island schools convened for the 2016 Peer Leadership Middle
School Conference that was hosted by Sayville Middle School. Along with more
than twenty chaperones, the visiting students learned valuable information that
they could bring back to their home districts.
An
outgrowth of Leadership Conferences offered at St. Joseph’s College by BOCES, the
Middle School conference welcomed keynote speaker Willie Green from the Youth
Alliance. In his address entitled “Overcoming Adversity and Challenging
Yourself Despite Circumstances,” Green shared insights with the entire
assembly. Afterwards, the students and chaperones broke into workshops. Topics
included The Impact of Sugar (presented
by Lety Algeri, Nutrition and Wellness Educator) The Impact of Drugs, Addiction and Recovery (presented by
Louis
Iacona, LI Helps), Vaping and Tobacco
Dangers (presented by Martha Kahan, HS Student Assistance
Counselor), Perseverance, Overcoming Adversity
and Setting Goals (presented by Robert Rodriguez AMP, Amputee
Basketball Team), and Bullying—All You
Need to Know (presented by Peter Michelman, Bay Shore Schools).
These workshops focused on fostering leadership, raising awareness, encouraging goals and showed the students how to implement this information into their school community.
“Students were excited about
the knowledge they gained, being able to participate in this experience and
were eager to bring the information back to their home schools,” said Sayville Middle School Health and Nutrition
teacher Jodi Maurici. “The feedback was amazing
and extremely positive,”
The Peer Leadership Conference was the result of an exemplary collaboration of Sayville Middle School staff. Student Assistance Counselor Paul Simonsen spearheaded the conference and was assisted by the Middle School faculty who organized and implemented activities as well as provided supportive technology, classroom space, and extra time to help to make this program a success.
