Sophomore students at Monmouth Academy had a chance to get up close and personal with their peers and teachers for four days during this sophomore awareness program. Taking place at the beautiful Camp Androscoggin, students got to talk about the issues that teens often deal with. Violence, drug use, and suicide were all topics covered during the days at the camp. Presentations by many different people were given to the students and after the presentations, small groups would discuss their feelings towards the topics being brought up. For a lot of sophomores, this was a place where you could talk about the problems you had, and not be judged by anyone.
For four days, the pencils and paper could be put down, and these teens could just talk about how they felt. Presenters, such as inmates from a local jail, came to speak to the students. Stories of how they had gotten to where they were gave a clear picture of what could happen if you decided to make the wrong decisions like they had. Emily Randall, a sophomore from Monmouth Academy, said that she learned a lot from the inmates and how it feels to be in jail. Presentations from a woman who had really lost her son to suicide brought the whole sophomore class to tears. Very important issues such as sexual abuse, trouble with the law, and even online soliciting, were discussed. Some topics were more important than others to different people, but in the end, everyone got something out of the experience.
After spending all this time with classmates and dealing with all this heavy stuff, such as suicide, it only made sense to end the four days with something fun. As a way to lift the spirits of the sophomore class, Gary Crocker was brought in. The comedian and motivational speaker made every kid laugh with his hilarious jokes. The final minutes at Camp Androscoggin, had the students do a candle ceremony. Each sophomore lit their candle and said one thing that they were grateful for. This feeling of unity brought everyone closer together. It was a great way to end the program. Then, buses holding the students drove back to school. Hopefully these students had learned some important things. For some it had been a life changing experience.
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