The new leadership class at Eagle High is incredible. A visit to this class is like a fresh breeze; refreshing and inspiring.  

The class is called Sources of Strength, or S.O.S for short, and it is very entertaining and full of positivity. Students learn skills to ensure everyone in the school knows that they matter. Its purpose is to be able to educate youth on the strength in their lives so that they know where to turn during both good and challenging times.  

This year, the leadership class meets on A days during second period. At the beginning of class, they always greet each other and say three things they are grateful for that day. They also check their calendar each class period and they have a different student from the class lead a game to help them bond with each other. Many times they are working on contributing and planning events for the school as well. 

“This class is just awesome in general. The goal, I think, is mostly to strengthen the community and to connect people in times of hardship to resources,” said freshman Chloe Brischler, who is a member of the class. “With that, we can help them get through that hard time, so that people can overall have better mental health and quality of life.” 

Brischler has noticed the support between the students in the class and the importance of including everyone while having fun at the same time. 

“I think it’s a really important class,” she said. “Not only does it build a better community within Eagle High, but you can also influence people for the rest of their lives, and the goal is to help people who need it, and hopefully we are able to do it.” 

There are currently 35 students in this class, and to participate in this class, students are chosen by the staff. Class members are nominated for the way they treat others. It is a class full of kids who care about the other people they go to school with.  

The focus of this class is a wheel of places students can go to gather strength. The wheel has eight sources that anyone can reach for when life is not particularly going one’s way. Those parts of the wheel help students manage stress, anger and sadness. It is something that can remind them of what they already have and what they can use in hard times.  

These sources are: mental health, family support, positive friends, mentors, healthy activities, generosity, spirituality and physical health.  

This class is full of unity, and it can be helpful in times when things look messy, difficult, challenging and impossible to those who lose faith in their own potential. 

When it comes to helping people, the quality of being thankful cannot be overlooked. Gratitude is something important that students practice in this class. Every student in the leadership class writes down things they are grateful for each class.  

“I like that we do that, I honestly really do,” said senior Sifredo Tejada, a member of the leadership class. “Before that class I never really thought of things I was grateful for everyday and when I started going, I thought ‘Oh! there’s actually a lot more things that I did not realize I was grateful for.’”  

The class is a very inclusive place where the students make sure everyone feels like they belong. In addition, the atmosphere of acceptance, cooperation and fun is remarkable.  

So far, the class has had positive results and the participation of the students is very noticeable. The most interesting thing about this class is that it helps students see the positive in their life, how they can use that to show gratitude for what they have and how they can help other students feel the same way.