Two Friday Night Live chapters and one advisor were honored at the Orange County Friday Night Live Partnership’s Chapter Recognition Event at Chapman University on May 29 for their outstanding efforts to promote youth development and carry out prevention projects in their schools and communities.
Magnolia High School in the Anaheim Union High School District and Santiago High School in the Garden Grove Unified School District each received the Chapter Excellence Award, and advisor Nikki Resch from Gilbert Continuation High School in the Anaheim Union district received the Advisor Excellence Award.
More on the winners in a moment.
First, a little background on FNL. OCDE’s Friday Night Live Partnership program, which includes FNL (high school), Club Live (middle school) and Friday Night Live Kids (upper elementary), is a youth development program that promotes leadership, communication, team building and problem solving, as youth are empowered to improve conditions in their communities by taking action and setting new trends leading to positive and long-lasting change.
And now we present the winners of the Chapter and Advisor Excellence Awards.
Magnolia High School in the Anaheim Union High School District was a winner of the Chapter Excellence Award and is a major force on campus with 22 officers and 100 general members. Magnolia High School FNL was honored for its efforts to reduce underage drinking, improve traffic safety and offer opportunities for student engagement. The student-run club utilizes strong relationships with law enforcement, local alcohol retailers and other campus clubs to carry out prevention activities that focus on increasing awareness of the dangers of underage drinking and distracted driving. Advisors Paul Schiada and Cyndi Ting lead the Magnolia High FNL.
Santiago High School in the Garden Grove Unified School District is the second winner of the Chapter Excellence Award. Comprised of 10 student leaders with an average general membership of 40 students, Santiago High School FNL helps create a positive school climate, and members serve as role models for younger students on their feeder school campus. This year, the FNL participants focused their efforts on bullying prevention by conducting presentations to middle school students that led to a weeklong campaign at Santiago High focused on kindness and compassion for others. In addition, the FNL chapter has conducted several activities to prevent underage drinking and improve traffic safety. This is only the second year of FNL at Santiago High, but the students and advisor, Shannon Bennett, have quickly established themselves as an important and impactful campus club.
Nikki Resch of Gilbert Continuation High School in the Anaheim Union High School District received the Advisor Excellence Award. A five-year veteran advisor for FNL, Ms. Resch was recognized for her keen ability to find the strengths of each student, encouraging them to take on roles in the FNL chapter that build upon their natural talents. She continually challenges students to voice their opinions and share their ideas to improve their campus and community, leading to meaningful opportunities for student engagement. Ms. Resch is an English teacher and chair of Gilbert’s English Department.