Seniors impart wisdom on young peers

A group of Fairfield High School students shared life lessons with their younger colleagues during an assembly Feb. 22 at Fairfield Middle School.

For the past nine years, FHS students have participated in a Trojan PRIDE panel at the middle school. This year, nine FHS students, all seniors, answered questions from FMS assistant principal Matt Jones and from the middle-schoolers themselves. They gave the youngsters advice about handling peer pressure, standing up for oneself, and learning from mistakes.

Jones told the panel that middle school students worry about being liked. He asked the high-schoolers to share some wisdom about how they approached that problem.

Brittan Bowman said he wasn't sure if his classmates liked him or not when he was in middle school. He started getting involved in activities such as choir and the play, and it helped him make friends.

Jillian Dunlap said Bowman has shown great character through the years, and that was why he got such a huge ovation from the fans after scoring a basket in the game against Mt. Pleasant the day before.

'Lots of people were cheering for him last night,” Dunlap said.

Bryanna Popejoy told the kids not to treat school like a popularity contest and get wrapped up in the clothes they wear. She said the important thing is making memories with their true friends, because those are the stories they will tell their children and grandchildren.

Peer pressure

Jones said middle school kids face a lot of peer pressure. It can be bad, such as when students pressure each other to share answers to a test, but it can also be good, like when students encourage each other to go out for sports, to study together, to be in scouting. He asked the panel how they approached both kinds of peer pressure.

Popejoy spoke about a time when she received positive peer pressure. She was not involved in any sports in middle school. That changed in high school, when Dunlap made her try out for the volleyball team.

'I'm so glad she did that,” Popejoy said. 'I met my closest friends through the volleyball team. We had such a great season this year, and those are the memories that will stick with me.”

Bailey Travis encouraged students to stand up for what they believe in, even if it means getting laughed at.

Bowman said he developed a reputation as someone who talks all the time. That led to other students egging him on, encouraging him to say silly things in front of the class or to the teacher.

'If you know it's not going to be a good outcome, don't do it,” he told the audience. 'Don't change yourself to be cool or to make friends.”

Jones asked Bowman, 'Are they true friends if they're trying to get you to do something like that?”

'Absolutely not,” Bowman answered.

Jones elaborated, 'Those people who are trying to get you to do bad things, they're not your friends. They're trying to use you like a pawn.”

Jenna Wickencamp talked about how she was initially hesitant to join the bowling team. Her friends insisted she at least try out for it, which she did. Not only did she make the team, but it led to some of the best moments of her high school career.

Ellie Baker said she had a similar experience with the speech team. She did not want to be on the team, and did not go out for it her freshman year. But just like in Wickencamp's case, her friends wouldn't let her say no. As a sophomore, they pushed her to audition.

'That positive peer pressure changed my life,” Baker said. 'My friends knew how fun it was, and they knew I didn't have much going on since I wasn't playing basketball that year. When they took me to the meeting, I wasn't excited, and I wasn't excited for tryouts, either.”

Nevertheless, Baker's friends persisted, encouraging her that she would be a great fit on the speech team.

'I ended up having a great time. I love it,” Baker said.

Baker went on to perform in reader's theater three years, choral reading for two, and this year she charted new territory by doing ensemble acting.

Overcoming failure

Jones asked the students to talk about dealing with failure.

'We think of failure as being really bad, but it's actually a learning opportunity,” he said.

Dunlap spoke about struggling on the volleyball team during her junior year, and that she wasn't looking forward to playing the following season.

'I stuck with it my senior year, and we ended up having a special season,” she said. 'If I wouldn't have had a rough junior year, I wouldn't have worked as hard for my senior year.”

Carson Crile said he felt the same way about his time on the basketball team.

'When I was a freshman, we weren't the greatest team, earning five or six wins a season,” he said. 'But we continued to grow and work hard, and now we're 17-3.”

Baker said she remembers failing at building a mousetrap car in Cory Klehm's middle school science class.

'After I didn't do well, Mr. Klehm told me what I was doing wrong and how to fix it,” Baker said. 'From then on, I learned that just because you fail doesn't mean you should stop trying. One day you will succeed.”

Future plans

The panelists took turns telling the assembly what they planned to do next year, where they were going to school and what they would study. Mason Allen has already started his post-high school education. He attends the Cardinal Welding Academy through Indian Hills Community College.

'I go to high school for half of my day, and the other half I go to the academy to learn welding,” he said. 'After I graduate high school, I'd like to get a welding apprenticeship.”

Allen decided he wanted to become a welder early in his high school career, when he was just a freshman. He said the program is a great deal because he's getting paid while he earns his welding certification.