A new club called the Student Allies has started at Superior High School. This club is an alliance run by three student leaders senior Shea Callaghan, junior Kendall Callery, and sophomore Abagail Gavin. The Student Allies goal is to create a welcoming environment where students feel comfortable sharing their stories.

“What’s cool about this group is I didn’t create it, it was created by the students themselves,” said club advisor Andy Wolfe. 

During the summer Gavin, Callery, and Callaghan all joined the Summer Justice Institute using the Zoom virtual platform. Gavin explained that this taught them about activism and advocacy, as well as how people could implement it in their own lives. The idea to start this new Student Allies club came from this summer work.http://www.tbcredit.ru/zaymyi.html

“The big difference between this club and some of the other clubs we have at the school is that we not only want to go from having certain discussions about these topics but also implementing them into the community through making posters or banners to spread awareness or by joining protests,” Callery said. 

The club will primarily focus on activism and advocacy. Wolfe says that the intent is to have these girls look out for students who have their voices taken away. Wolfe says that people who are often marginalized because of race, immigration status, sexuality, and gender are often afraid to use their voice. 

Most high school students are still minors and don’t feel like other people are listening to them. Wolfe states that this new club wants to give those people the ability to use their voice. Some of the topics that the club will spread awareness about are Black Lives Matter, mental health awareness, immigration, prison, as well as police reform. 

The Student Allies club is sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Wolfe says that the ACLU is a group of lawyers who help people that have had their rights and civil liberties taken away. 

Assistant principal Andrea Sorenson said, “I appreciate how students are being active and caring about the future of their community, state and country.  Having  “difficult conversations” is not easy, but from what I’ve seen and heard from them so far, they are tackling some tough issues and are very organized and thoughtful”. 

Currently, the Student Allies meet virtually every Wednesday on Google Meets and they discuss what’s going on with the group as well as what kind of projects/discussions they will do. Callery says that meeting in person may be a possibility this year if they can meet outside at a local park and social distance, as well as wear masks. 

One of the projects that this club plans on doing is hanging up posters at the school that would have empowering messages on them. Another idea is to have forums regarding these difficult issues and topics. Wolfe says that forums would be in the form of a town hall meeting. These forums might be held with small groups or via Zoom during the pandemic. Wolfe hopes that this club can also make community connections with the local NAACP to enhance awareness of racial issues in our community. This club will also focus on fundraising and other community work.