Hawthorne High School Peer Leaders took an in-school field trip to the auditorium on February 7, 2014. The “trip” featured three guest speakers who all spoke with a common theme in mind: living a healthy and successful life.
The first guest speaker, Michael De Leon, told the students, “You are at the most important points of your lives.” He stressed that as high school students, the Peer Leaders have the power to choose whether to be positive or negative for the rest of their lives, but the time to start is now. He encouraged students to “Stay in Your Lane,” which he explained means being true to yourself and making good choices. De Leon’s presentation revolved around making the right choice of saying no to drugs. He told the students about teen drug abuse in the United States. He proceeded to explain his own drug addiction story which landed him in a street gang, the “Gang’s Accountant.” Due to his affiliation with the street gang, throughout his life De Leon was charged with aggravated manslaughter and lived in a jail cell for almost 12 years. He stated that his “life of crime” started with cocaine use at a young age and ended in a jail cell for over a decade.
Sophomore, Ronny Pena, commented, “It was an eye-opening presentation to hear people’s real life experiences with drug abuse and what it can do someone’s life.”
Up and coming inspirational hip-hop artist, V.S. the Oddz, also spoke to the Peer Leaders. He, too, focused his presentation on students choosing a positive path in life. He stressed to the Peer Leaders that they can do whatever they want as long as they have the drive and confidence to do it. Oddz was a fan-favorite as he opened his presentation by rapping, which caught all the students’ attention. He encouraged the students to graduate high school and spoke about knowledge being power. Oddz ended his presentation with a powerful message, stating, “The power to your life is in your hands.”
The last presenter was Artie Pasquale, a 12-episode Soprano’s cast member. He, too, spoke to students about how they can have a positive life; he told students the importance of taking responsibility and being leaders. To stress this point, he made students think about their current path in life by saying, “Tell me who you hang out with, and I’ll tell you who you are.” He explained that being a leader is leading by example and that who you hang out with reflects on who you are.
Peer Leaders advisor Kelly Clifford commented on the presentation saying, “We really enjoyed this particular presentation. We received a lot of positive feedback from the students who seemed to really be interested in the stories. It’s always great to hear from people who have been through trying times in their lives but yet were able to persevere and become successful.”
The HHS Peer Leaders walked away from this powerful assembly with a valuable lesson on living a clean, healthy, and positive life while being the best person you can possibly be. Their mission now is to pass this philosophy on to the HHS community at large and be examples for their peers.