SLIC, a club that works to initiate change, is run by guidance counselor Rebecca Dawson,

teacher Robert Henning, and guidance counselor Lieselotte Kennedy. SLIC’s goal is “to teach students

that it’s important to be a part of the community,” said Henning.

The students of SLIC are teens wanting change in their community. As a result, they develop

ideas to become the change they wish to see. Through this club, these students become masters at

fundraising, educating, and raising awareness.

SLIC originally started as an “extracurricular club about 10 years ago,” said Dawson. Dawson

initiated SLIC because she was involved in a partnership with Arbor Circle. Arbor Circle–providing mental

health counseling, substance use treatment, and family services–approached the school “about starting a

chapter within the high school.”

Food initiatives are one of the many projects covered by SLIC. “We work with Hand to Hand and

Kids Food Basket,” said Henning. He also shared that the district has a Hand to Hand pantry in “the

South Campus Media Center and the Main Office” at the high school. This is where students, teachers,

and parents can come in and donate non-perishable food all year long.

Fundraisers, movements, and projects are many different ways SLIC stays involved with today’s

topics. In the past, SLIC has educated the community about drugs during Red Ribbon Week and hosted

a new student waffle breakfast to welcome newcomers.

Education is a very important objective of the club. SLIC goes to Baldwin and Riley to teach

middle schoolers about growing topics. Some topics that SLIC focuses on are substance abuse, bullying,

and people at risk. The club has previously hosted a Raise Your Voice educational presentation to teach

middle schoolers peer refusal skills and most importantly, how to say no.

How does SLIC decide their topics? Arbor Circle requires SLIC to cover a few initiatives: Safe

Prom, Red Ribbon Week, and Raise Your Voice. For the countless other initiatives, students and

administrators choose topics like H2H and further volunteer opportunities.

“There are many opportunities to get involved, and many different levels of involvement,” said

Henning. Therefore resonating with SLIC’s meaning of “Student Leaders Initiating Change” in the

community.