Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, December 07, 2009

Gallery (click any photo to view the gallery)

Students in the Leadership Lexington Youth Program helped out at God's Pantry in one of their community visits.

Stepping out of a familiar school setting and into a God’s Pantry warehouse was enlightening for students in the Leadership Lexington Youth Program.

“You hear about all these organizations, but you never get to see what they’re like. This really puts a whole different face on it,” said John Aroutiounian, a junior at Henry Clay High School, who helped sort cases of Pop-Tarts at the food bank.

That’s one of the program’s goals: to expose students to various segments of the community and show them that they can make a difference in people’s lives.

This year, nearly three dozen FCPS students have the opportunity to interact with local leaders, talk about current issues, explore careers, and visit area businesses and post-secondary schools.

“The kinds of places we go really give us a sense of how society functions,” said John, who is interested in pursuing law or politics.

The program also shows young people how to make a positive impact on those who are less fortunate, he added. “You think to yourself, ‘When I’m a leader, I really want to help them out.’”

The leadership class meets the first Wednesday of each month throughout the school year. The topics cover areas including arts and media; growth, preservation and economic development; health and human services; higher education and career development; and public safety and government. The students also will participate in job shadowing and contribute to a class project – videos about the focus topics, which will be shown during the April graduation.

Sophie Knight, a junior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, said the unifying theme is that success in life depends on perseverance and determination.

“The speakers keep enforcing the same thing – ‘You can’t get anywhere without failure.’ It helps you grow and move on,” she said.

The Dec. 2 stop at God’s Pantry capped the health and human services session. The day was packed, with visits to the Hope Center, the Lexington VA Medical Center lab, the Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Manchester Center.

“It gives them a look into other people’s circumstances. Hopefully it becomes a day of appreciation and establishes empathy for those who don’t have,” said Kiyon Massey, associate director of classified personnel for Fayette County Public Schools.

Massey and Barbara Connor, the district’s equity accountability officer, led the health and human services session. Both are graduates of the adult Leadership Lexington program sponsored by Commerce Lexington, which also coordinates the youth program for high school sophomores and juniors.

Linda Stampf of Commerce Lexington said a main focus for the youth is career development.

“Probably the best benefit is the variety of businesses they are exposed to and the opportunities here in Lexington if they choose to stay,” she said. “We want to make sure they know this is a great town.”

For Sophie, first-semester highlights included meeting the mayor and council members as well as news anchors at a local television station. “I got to do a mock broadcast,” she said. “That really opened my eyes to careers I’ve never considered.”

John, from Henry Clay, said the entire program is a boon for students and he appreciates all those who have made it possible. “It takes a lot of leaders from all walks of life giving of their time to make this work,” he said.

The class

This year’s Leadership Lexington Youth class has 45 participants, including 31 from Fayette County Public Schools. They were chosen after a competitive application process last spring.

Bryan Station High: Marylynne Anderson-Cooper, Alexie Basil, Taylor Chapman, Jordan Chapman, Cole Guthrie, Abigail Newell, Max Shier and Wilder Treadway.

Henry Clay High: John Aroutiounian, Christian Clark, Justin Graff, Emma Guida, Sharon Zixuan Liu, Sylvan Ryder and Christopher Thompson.

Lafayette High: Andrea Nicole Frost, Lauren Sandberg and Ole Wendroth.

Paul Laurence Dunbar High: Madison Burgess, Chelsey Etta Estes, Monica Fitch, Kristen Grewe, Sophie Knight, Brian Anthony and Andrew Quick.

Tates Creek High: Jessica Naomi Barnes, Caroline Hampton, Anthony Minor, Katelyn Riley, Sierra Thompson and Matthew Williams.

Resources:

Applications for the 2010-2011 youth program will be available this spring through the high school guidance offices. For more details, visit the Commerce Lexington site or contact Linda Stampf at (859) 226-1610 or lstampf@commercelexington.com.