Ever since its creation in 1910, Ripon High School is always looking for new ways to improve the campus, community, and coursework. Peer Assistants, a class founded in 2022 by Mrs. Pendleton has certainly done its fair share of striving to obtain that goal.
According to Ripon High’s course catalog, Ripon High Peer Assistants is “a program that encourages positive peer interaction, focusing on communication skills, and developing decision-making skills.” However, the students in the class will tell you that Peer Assistants are much more complex than that.
When it comes to the responsibilities of the Peer Assistants team, one of their most important tasks are their efforts to spread awareness on campus about highschool related issues, among them being mental health.
“I think all highschools, everywhere, all have high numbers of students struggling with their mental health,” Chloe Hager, a sophomore in Peer Assistants, states. Posters were created by the Peer Assistant class to spread awareness and offer mental health hotline numbers. “We posted them all around campus,” Hager adds, “just to give students a little reminder that they are not alone.”
Additionally, Peer Assistants has started to host the Advisory Livestreams, an addition made just recently. The livestream group has been working hard to brainstorm content, which has ultimately made advisories more engaging and more fun for the student body.
Kyra Schneringer, a junior who partakes in aiding livestream, shares “The livestream team has definitely come a long way. So, seeing that get better and better by the day has definitely been super rewarding.”
Peer Assistants also helps with the weekly newsletters and has their own social media to embrace school spirit.
Not only is Peer Assistants a class, but it has become a family that uplifts each other and encourages their peers to nurture their talents.
“I love everyone in our class, we all get along really well.” Schneringer states.
Outside of the regular classwork, the group focuses on becoming their best selves through the support of Mrs. Pendleton, Mr. Mayfield, and their companions in class.
Schneringer additionally mentions the class, “brings out another side of creativity,” for her and has helped her in her quest to evolve her understanding in several different subjects.
In conclusion, Peer Assistants is a wonderful class that has the ability to harness the talents of students and improve them beyond their initial skill set. It is a great way to get involved around campus, develop your abilities, and make new friends.
Schneringer tells those who are interested in joining the class next year to, “Do it! I love Peer Assistants,” she says, “I look forward to it everyday.”
