A new program has taken precedence on the campus at CHS. PLUS stands for peer leaders uniting students, and unify is exactly what they do.
“Our goal is to create a sense of community on campus and create connections among students,” sophomore Grady McDermott said.
Although our school has had an active Peer Leaders club for years which currently focuses on tutoring students, Peer PLUS focuses on different aspects of uniting students.
“This year we don’t do tutoring but we do hold forums where we lead activities which allow students to get their voices heard,” McDermott said.
The idea of the program was brought up over the summer at a leadership conference held at Carlsbad High School. A man named John Vanderlin suggested the idea to English teacher Stephanie Nasser who decided to create a PLUS team. The process of being chosen for PLUS team began with a recommendation.
“I was recommended by Mrs. Nasser and the next weekend we had to go to training,” McDermott said.
Because it is the first year of the program, many students weren’t sure what it was. Those students interested in being in the program in the future can fill out an application to be a part of the team. After the application, students will be chosen for interviews.
“If you are interested you should talk to Mrs. Penrod in room 3202 or print out an application from schoolloop and turn it in by Friday April 26th then be ready for the interview,” McDermott said.
The main focus of the PLUS team are the forums they put on throughout the year. They have had two so far this year that have gone very well. The forums allow students to share and connect with other students. The next forum will take place in May. Next year the PLUS team plans to have one forum every month.
“I really like working as a team with my friends to unify the students of Carlsbad,” McDermott said.
The members of PLUS are looking forward to next year with new members and the ability to make an even bigger impact on the students at Carlsbad.
