Staff Editorial
Up until about three years ago in Plymouth, the month of October has been nothing out of the ordinary for teens. We just did what we’ve always done—gone to school, played sports, participated in clubs, socialized with friends and participated in the work force. But in recent years, a new point of recognition has come about because (drum roll, please…) October is Teen Appreciation Month.
Yes, my fellow underestimated high school peers’ you’ve heard us correctly. Our positive efforts are finally beginning to surface. Because, you know what, we aren’t all just a bunch of whipper-snappin’ hooligans!
Our age group has been thought to be a generation of alcohol drinkin’, havoc raisin’, birth control poppin’ and overeatin’ rascals. But in reality, we are doing many good things too! Sure, every generation has its bad seeds, but each generation also has its driven hard workers who really are out there to make a difference. Luckily, the month of October has now been transformed to recognize the majority of adolescents who really do strive to achieve.
There are many activities being performed at PHS that display the genuine concern and care that teens have for our community and world. Clubs like Peers for Peers and Key Club are two great examples. Senior Genevieve Faust, the President of Key Club, had the idea to start the club her sophomore year, but was rejected by the staff. There were no volunteers to advise the club, nor was there support from faculty because they believed that the club was too similar to Peers for Peers, and it would not receive necessary attendance. Strangely enough, Key Club is a student-lead club in which the club’s vision, according to keyclub.org, is “to develop competent, capable and caring leaders through the vehicle of service.”
It seems kind of ridiculous to me that teachers would not be jumping at the opportunity to be involved with kids who want to serve their community, just for the sake of becoming a more caring person. Fortunately, Faust persevered her desire to institute the club, and today, it is up and running with outstanding numbers and interest among the student population.
“I think that if you want something to get started, you have to start it,” commented Faust.
The Key Club’s latest project has been to ring bells for the Salvation Army across Sheboygan County. It’s amazing to think that so many teens are willing to give up time on their weekends for a couple of hours to do something to improve the lives of those less fortunate. That’s the great thing about teen appreciation week; the often genuinely selfless motives of teenagers are coming to a head. People are finally seeing us in a crowd, realizing (and accepting) that we are the future, and the future is bright.
“I rang for the Salvation Army last week, and just recently, some complete stranger, a middle-aged woman, approached me and asked, ‘You were the one ringing bells at Wal-Mart, right?’” added Faust.
Key Club isn’t the only great force happening because of teens in Plymouth. There are also, just to name a few, a group of girls doing free babysitting for single mothers, a number of kids going on mission trips and there’s always the kid who sees a piece of trash and picks it up. Whatever it is, big or small, we teens make a difference. Our generation is extremely influential and powerful, and it’s amazing to see so many of us binding together for the common good!
So just because Teen Appreciation Month only offers us a few perks, like discounts at local restaurants or some banner being risen in our honor, it’s really the principle of the thing. We, as a generation, are releasing the inner-good inside of all of us, and finally, others are starting to notice it.
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