Playful Yet Passionate
Peer Counselors Continue to Unite the School through the 2018-19 School Year
The Peer Room, Room 221, in Student Services. The Peer Room is always open to students seeking support.
A group of students clad in tie-dye shirts ran on to the gym floor and busted out a wild dance routine to some of the summer’s most popular songs. However, these students were not part of the dance team at all–they are the Peers.
The Peer Counseling program is a focal point of the Rocky Community and often gathers attention from the student body and staff alike. Comprised of 22 seniors and 10 juniors, the group represents the diversity of the Rocky community.
None of the Peers are simply Peers. In the group of 6 Second-Year Peers interviewed, all actively participate in range of activities including, but not limited to athletics, Connections Club, academics, and theater. Above that, the Peers are full of different people with different stories and talents working together in order to create a comfort level with the student body.
Their mission statement, “[T]o selflessly serve, support, and educate the Rocky community to develop a safe, inclusive, and caring environment for everyone to feel validated and empowered,” hangs on the wall in the Peer room–a constant reminder that they have a major role in Rocky’s “Together As One” mantra. Senior Michael Naffier believes, “They [the Peers] try to exemplify the Lobo Way, leading by example, and are an inspiring thing that make me want to be my best.”
More than that, the Peers undergo intensive training in order to be able to provide a variety of educational and counseling services to the Rocky student body. The Peers class runs for the first quarter of each school year and, until it is completed, the new Peers are not truly considered Peers.
The class includes a Peer Project, a requirement to select either a community-based or a self-growth project to work on throughout the school year. The projects often relate to subjects that the Peers are passionate about or close to. Notable past projects include the start of Rocky’s Adopt-A-Family and Unity Week. The class also includes community service requirements, to expand the impact of the the program into the Fort Collins area as well.
Peers provide educational presentations and services on sexual assault, dating violence, alcohol and drug abuse, mental health, and suicide. According to Senior Jacson Swain, “While we may carry the pamphlets during the presentations, we know what we’re talking about and we’re trained to answer questions.”
Most importantly, the Peers are there to lend a listening ear and counseling services to anyone who needs support. When asked who they are, the group interviewed said, “We are a group of people that are unique that come together to support other people.”
If you need support or wish to find the Peers at anytime, the Peer Room (Room 221) in Student Services is always open. They are a group passionate about their mission with diverse skill sets, making them prepared to handle anything.
Karenna Doctor is a Senior at Rocky Mountain High School and is also a staff member of the school literary and arts magazine, The Looking Glass. Outside...
