Peer Leaders Reflect on Get Real Day
Get Real Day was a success on March 9. Photo by: Ariel Barbera
March 11, 2016
Students in school usually have trouble developing bonds and have trouble fitting in with others. To help students get through this problem, the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in York established a program called Get Real Day to help students develop greater bonds and break boundaries between each other.
Get Real Day is a three-day event that aims to help students develop better bonds between each other. Peer leaders at Susquehannock plan to enhance these bonds with different activities and conversations for the sophomore class.
On March 2, the Get Real Day peer leaders went through training sessions in order to prepare for the upcoming Get Real Day.
Junior Hailey Miller described the training day as the peer leaders’ very own Get Real Day and is eager to help the sophomores in the upcoming Get Real Days.
“[The training] was pretty good. We got into certain discussions about racial views and we had a few people who were very enthusiastic about the topic,” said Miller. “They were getting right into the conversation, and after that we felt better because we got all of that out of our systems. It was our very own Get Real Day, and that’s how it should be for the next three times we do it with the sophomores.”
Junior Gabriella Ogude thought the training was very helpful for the leaders in preparing for Get Real Day with the sophomores.
“I think that the training was really informative. It actually helped us learn more about each other, and we had some intense talks that lead us to understand each other more,” said Ogude. “The best part of training was actually looking inside of myself and being able to talk about stuff I normally didn’t talk about with other students.”
Get Real Day focuses on the many conflicts and issues students face in today’s society. Peer leaders aim to get students to open up with the difficulties they’re facing and to make new friends and better bonds throughout the day.
Junior Kate LeBlanc volunteered to become a peer leader for Get Real Day and is ready to start helping the sophomores in the upcoming days.
“I hope to connect with people and build relationships, along with reaching out to others,” said LeBLanc. “It was really fun to be able to talk to a bunch of different peers that felt the same way I felt about different opinions.”
This year isn’t the only day Get Real Day visits Susquehannock. For the Class of 2017, the JCC established a two-day Get Real Day event to help students with their problems.
“I was a sophomore, and I got put in a group with people that I had no clue who they were,” said Miller. “I had Mr. Sterner as my leading teacher, and it was easier for me to open up with him there because I knew him. I ended up crying, and one of my leaders was crying too.”
The Get Real Day peer leaders strive to help their fellow students with problems they talk about throughout the day.
“My main focus is to be a good peer leader, be there for the students,” said Miller. “I want to support them with anything they need.”
Many of the leaders are aiming to understand what their fellow students are going through and wish to relate to them on Get Real Day.
“My main focus is to let the kids understand a little bit about me and my experiences,” said Ogude. “I want to empower them and make them feel more comfortable in Susquehannock.”
After March 9, the next two upcoming Get Real Days are on March 17 and March 24.
