Running out of the tunnel at the home of the Green Bay Packers was cool, but it was the leadership and fellowship shared that stood out the most for a group of Gibraltar Middle School students on Thursday.
Gibraltar students Mylo, Maggie, James, Miles, Olive, Luke, Ashlyn, and Rocket all participated in the Green Bay Packers Empower Leadership Event, which took place at Lambeau Field and the neighboring Resch Expo. The students were chosen based on their involvement in leadership groups at school and identified as leaders by staff members. They were among dozens of the students participating in the event, beginning with a keynote address from One Voice One Team Youth Leadership Organization Executive Director Orlando Bowen, who uses story-telling, fitness activities, and cognitive exercises to teach resilience, leadership, and teamwork. “The first speech was really touching and inspiring hearing Orlando Bowen’s life story. It made me feel sad for everything he went through and how you never really know what someone is going through,” said Ashlyn. Olive added that Bowen urged them to believe in themselves and remember that empathy is greater than kindness.
After the students toured Lambeau Field, they returned to the Resch Expo to participate in a service project packing more than 48,000 food packs for the Rise Against Hunger organization. The project will help more than 200 children have the food that they need for the entire school year. School counselors Chelsea Roberts and Brooke Petrie said some students enjoyed the service activity almost more than the Lambeau Field tour, adding that it was “a true testament to their desire to help others” and fit the theme of having a “we mentality” rather than a “us versus them mentality.” Miles and James were impressed the impact that they were able to make in just a few minutes, while Maggie added that she enjoyed the service project because “they made it fun, and it helped a lot of people who don’t have enough food.”
Roberts and Petrie said the service project was their favorite moment of the day because the students were proud of their efforts. “This was an important event because it allowed us to provide a unique experience for a few young leaders,” Roberts and Petrie added. “These events helped encourage and inspire them to continue being strong leaders, giving them more tools and strategies to use their gift of leadership in our own community and create a positive impact on others in our community and the world.”
Pictures courtesy of Gibraltar Area Schools
