The student-led event included guest speakers who brought a lot of energy to the event.
From a young age, Foster grappled with Vitiligo, a skin condition causing patches of pigment loss. After enduring years of bullying and concealing her true beauty, she experienced a transformation. She finally embraced her radiance and sparked the "I am great!" movement.
“The “I am great!” movement means no matter what life challenges are thrown your way, you are destined for greatness,” Foster communicated. “Mental health is so important. When you do the “I am great!” it’s going to start changing your life forever.”
Foster said she prides herself on empowering youth through affirmations of self-love and self-confidence.
Given shared his mental health struggles and when he got the courage to ask for help. He hopes his story inspired others.
“I hope the students walked away knowing they can be advocates for themselves. Asking for help shouldn’t be scary,” said Givens. “Asking for help is the strongest thing people can do.”
Givens also gave students tips on how to help a friend or family member who may be struggling.
There were also games between speakers. Additionally, Rockin Reggie was on hand to play music and keep the crowd entertained. Students had a blast!
The Meigs County Chamber Student Ambassadors and student council members for the 2024 event were:
Meigs High School- Claire Howard, Shayla Hysell, Kylie Metheney, Andrea Mahr, Sarah Stark, Johanna Thomas, and Evan Davis.
Eastern High School- Kasey Glaze, Hope Reed, Brayden Haught, Addison Well, and Danielle Epple.
The journey of planning the AHA was an incredible learning experience for the students involved. The entire process was a whirlwind of activities that helped them to improve their skills in various areas, such as leadership, creativity, budgeting, and networking.
The students learned how to work collaboratively towards a common goal, make important decisions, and develop innovative ideas to ensure the event's success.
Ahead of Friday’s event, SHS AHA student ambassadors visited the 7th and 8th grade classrooms to promote the event.
“I am beyond grateful that we had the opportunity to explain what was to come at the AHA event to the junior high. Students seemed quite interested during the presentations!” - Chloe Rizer.
The AHA planning process has also helped them improve their networking skills. They interacted with different people, made meaningful connections, and maintained relationships with potential sponsors and partners.
Overall, the experience was a significant milestone in their personal and professional development, and it equipped them with valuable skills that they can use in their future endeavors.
“From the behind-the-scenes work of scheduling and preparing the event, we broadened our problem-solving skills by overcoming the many obstacles we faced. I felt that we were able to step outside of our comfort zones to complete this project. Overall, we all learned how to work and communicate more efficiently while collaborating with so many different people” -Brayden Otto
Mr. Daniel Otto, the Principal of Southern High School, stressed the importance of mental health services at school. He believes that it's necessary to provide these services and is committed to making them available for students who need them.
“We hope the inspiring messages from the guest speakers positively impacted our students and if needed, we hope those struggling will find the courage to seek help," Principal Otto stated.
Mr. Otto shared that volunteering and setting an example for others can teach valuable life lessons.
“The student ambassadors at Southern High School have learned important lessons through their AHA journey. These lessons will hopefully inspire them to be their best selves and make a difference in the world. I am very proud of their time and dedication to the event,” Mr. Otto stated.
The AHA event on Friday was a source of gratitude for Vickie Jones, the Principal of Meigs Middle School. She acknowledged that students of today face unique challenges and obstacles that are distinct from those faced by their parents' generation. In particular, she emphasized that the provision of mental health services is a critical need for students.
"Poor mental health can lead to a range of adverse outcomes, including low academic performance, strained relationships, poor decision-making, and, in extreme cases, death by suicide," said Mrs. Jones. "We expressed our gratitude to the high school students and their support team for their relentless dedication in providing this crucial resource to the junior high students. We sincerely appreciate the event, which was much-needed and highly valuable."
Mr. Mike Chancey, the principal of Meigs High School, commended the students for organizing a significant event for junior high school students across Meigs County. Leadership members from all three districts collaborated behind the scenes to ensure that AHA was executed smoothly.
"We established safety guidelines and expectations for guest speakers, teachers, staff, and students," Mr. Chancey stated. "We extend our gratitude to the local law enforcement agencies for their service in ensuring the safety of all attendees."
Garret Hall, the Principal at Eastern High School, expressed his deep admiration and pride for the Meigs County Student Chamber Ambassadors and the student council members who made such a positive impact.
"We commended them for their unwavering dedication and hard work in creating a promotional video, preparing swag bags, and designing and hanging flyers," Mr. Hall communicated. "We feel that addressing mental health concerns last year and this year has bolstered the confidence of students across all three school districts. While it's challenging to measure the complete impact, we believe these efforts may have been instrumental in potentially saving lives.”
The Chamber’s High School Ambassadors Program created hope in the dedicated efforts to hold a health summit for students at all three Meigs County Schools.
During the planning of the AHA initiative, Susan White, the Executive Director of the Meigs County Chamber of Commerce, played a vital and intricate role in the leadership team.
Her support for the student-led efforts was truly remarkable, and she consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to being a positive role model and a voice of reason throughout the planning process.
Mrs. White's contributions were invaluable, and her presence was a driving force behind the success of the AHA initiative.
Amy Perrin played a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the AHA event as a dedicated MHS Career Coach and Chamber member. Her tireless efforts, hard work, and dedication helped to make the event a grand success.
Perrin was a true inspiration and a great role model for the student ambassadors, exhibiting exceptional leadership qualities and guiding them every step of the way.
Ms. Perrin's unwavering commitment, passion, and enthusiasm toward her work made her an outstanding leader, and her contributions to the AHA event will always be remembered and appreciated.
This year, the Meigs County Chamber student ambassadors from all three schools were granted a paid internship related to mental health through Building Bridges to Careers (BB2C). This opportunity was brought to fruition by Claire Ramsey, a BB2C Network Resource Coordinator, and her team, with the aid of BB2C's funders.
“BB2C is grateful for the opportunity to see such a great community-school partnership contribute not only to businesses and schools but to the community at large,” said Ramsey.
Leadership from all three schools would like to thank BB2C for the incredible internship opportunities.
On the way out of the AHA event, every student was given a goodie bag, which included mental health resources, water bottles, pens, pencils, stickers, and stress balls.
A huge thank you to all the swag sponsors including Pamela Reeves - Century 21 Homestar, Ohio Is Home, Kylie Metheney, Debbie Brewer with WOUB Learning Lab, Ohio University, Lora Rawson, Gallia, Jackson, Meigs ADAMH Board, Ohio School Safety Center, Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, Integrated Services, Meigs County Health Department, Holzer Health System, Field of Hope, Shain Custom Signs & Decals, Pomeroy Mayor Don Anderson, and WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center. Thank you to everyone who helped behind the scenes as well.
