"This is a letter to our high school principle from a parent of a student who belongs to the breakfast club (our Student-Led Initiative group)" --Daniel Romuno
"Mr. Eichinger, I just wanted to say thank you for allowing the breakfast club to take place. I was privileged to attend the breakfast club this morning and was very impressed. Everyone appeared to be at ease, open, and very friendly. I was happy to see four other parents there as well. A very courageous young woman told a story that I am sure helped many others who were there. I am very thankful for this club. The main reason I am so appreciative is due to my daughter, being a part of it. Last year my daughter was suicidal, cutting herself and very depressed. I was beside myself with worry and didn't know where to turn. The child that you were seeing at school was not the child I raised. I put my daughter in counseling but she didn't like it. The harassment she has suffered due to her weight has been awful; she does not trust many people. The breakfast club gives her a place to vent and feel like she is a part of something, like she belongs. She is beginning to trust again. I am on my way to getting my daughter back. She is again talking of college and wanting to be 'somebody.' I already know she is 'somebody' and with the help of the breakfast club and the wonderful people you have in charge of it, she will continue to thrive. My wish is that the breakfast club will continue and others may reap the same benefit of it as my daughter has. I am looking forward to attending the next meeting. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Sincerely,
A Concerned Parent
A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO A YOUNG MAN'S RECOVERY
Nate had no future. His only interest was in getting high. After a number of intervention sessions and his girlfriend giving him the choice of her or the drugs, Nate flushed over $200 worth of different kinds of drugs. He then became very active in the breakfast club (our Student-Led Grant Initiative group). In fact, he was one of the eight students that put the breakfast club together. We're sorry that we are loosing Nate this year, but we are ecstatic that he is graduating this year--something that no one thought was possible four years ago. He has represented the breakfast club so well and has stopped so many potential fights that he has won the conflict resolution award for student of the year. Nate's future looks bright, his parents regularly attend the breakfast club, and he is considered the male leader of the breakfast club. Personally, I feel honored that I've gotten to work very closely with Nate, and we will remain friends for the rest of my life.
Sincerely,
Daniel Romuno
I would first like to thank the University of Cincinnati and the ebasedprevent.org website for presenting students across Ohio the opportunity to encourage other students to keep our schools safe and to provide a more advantageous learning environment. At the beginning of this school year, I was offered an opportunity that I could not turn down. I was invited to unite in our school's "Safe School Committee." This committee allowed other students as well as myself the chance to develop a program called Caught In The Act. This is a student led program that awards students throughout the school for demonstrating positive attitudes and conducting themselves in positive ways. Each month, students and teachers are encouraged to nominate others who they feel have demonstrated something a little out of the ordinary that contributes to the positive environment at our school. Students and teachers who the "Safe School Committee" feel are eligible, are rewarded with gift certificates from various restaurants, our local mall, and a signed certificate from our local police department. A few School Resource Officers have also taken a vital role in the program by offering many of their ideas to the program and committee. We have given out about 40 certificates in the five months that the program has been in existence. Many students have noticed and complimented on attitude changes that have been seen throughout our school. The environment has changed and students have come to recognize a more positive learning environment.
Sincerely,
PHS representative
This month we have had opportunity to participate in Community Activities that brought JOG Students and non-JOG students into contact with and involved with their community. We painted a Habitat House in Feb. and in March we helped Habitat of Canton Move into a new warehouse facility. Students worked with pride and very hard to complete the task. We provided the lunch and snacks with our grants funds. Finding that we were doing this a local truck company donated a moving truck for the day to help us move the warehouse items. We are currently working on the video that captured all the action. Editing will be complete by Monday. We plan to show this when we come to UC in June.
Tim Lee Canton South JOG
