Junior high leadership

If you can remember back to your junior high days, you may remember how tough it was. Your body is changing, you're starting to care more about what others think of you, bullying gets more noticeable, school work becomes much harder and you're trying to find ways to fit in and stand out at the same time.

As part of a Community Caring Council project, 40 students at Central Junior High are being trained to help them recognize prejudices and encouraging them to reach out to others. The hope is that these 40 individuals will become leaders at the school and pass along positive messages.

Last week, the Community Caring Council, United Way of Southeast Missouri, Girl Scouts of Otahki Council and Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition sponsored the event.

If the program works, a lot of students will benefit. Not only will unsure and low-self-esteem students be made more comfortable, but these 40 students will begin thinking about life's big picture and how they can have a positive impact on our community for a long time to come.