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A total of 15 students from Santa Paula High School participated in a student leadership program held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library |
SPHS students participate
in leadership conference
October 02, 2015
Santa Paula News
By Letitia Austin
A total of 15 students from Santa Paula High School participated in a student leadership program held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. this summer.
The students participated in the Ronald Reagan Student Leadership Program that took place over a five day period and included six sessions. The focus was on developing leadership skills with a goal of accomplishing the task of identifying problems in the community and creating extensive Leadership Action Plans to detail a pathway for addressing that problem.
“It was a profound experience for the students,” said SPHS teacher and faculty advisor, Richard Castaniero. “These opportunities don’t happen very often. Hopefully, it will inspire our students to get involved in their community and in some ways to make the world a better place.”
Each student chose his/her own Leadership Action Plan to implement in their community. The proposed plans included such goals as planting drought-resistant plants on campus to installing a soccer field at an elementary school. The students have until June of 2016 to complete their Leadership Action Plans.
SPHS senior and Associated Student Body President Nicole Mayes chose to focus her Leadership Action Plan on the effects of stress on high school students.
“I want to offer a Stress Management Week,” she said. “I want to have a lunchtime rally and school assembly to promote ways students can better manage stress through yoga classes and even bringing in therapy puppies.”
Mayes would like to partner with Ventura County Behavioral Health and also garner community support to make her project a success and beneficial for fellow students.
Fellow Santa Paula High School senior Veronica Landeros said her Leadership Action Plan is to develop a workshop for migrant and English Learner students to teach them about attending college, applying for scholarships, visiting college campuses, and more.
“I was in the migrant program and I eventually became the captain of the debate team,” Landeros said. “I want to help my school as well as EL and migrant students.”
David Alvarez, a senior at Santa Paula High School, would like to make a positive environmental impact in his community by focusing his Leadership Action Plan on E-waste efforts.
“Environmental waste wasn’t really being looked at in my community,” he said. “With all of the old computers, laptops, and other electronics, this is going to be a big problem.”
Alvarez would like to go door to door in his community to gather up old electronics and have them recycled.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is a nonprofit organization created by the former President himself to continue his legacy and to share his principles of individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy, and national pride.
SPHS was the first school to be accepted as a school partner which means the school was able to bring a large group of students as well as receive special accommodations for their participation.
For more information on how members of the community can support the efforts of these students and others, please contact Richard Castaniero at (805) 525-4400, ext. 9513.
