Seniors in Natural Helpers

By: Lorelai Christy and Alana Finlayson, Junior Editor and Staff Writer

Foran’s Natural Helpers club is organized by Mrs. Lisa Farrell and Mr. Rick Raucci. The club organizes Freshman Orientation, Homecoming, conferences, Unified Prom, Open Houses, fundraisers, and activities for the freshmen class.

    This year, they organized a tour of Foran for eighth graders from Harborside and East Shore. They meet every common time, once each month during school and once after school.

    There are 18 seniors total in the club. Each senior in Natural Helpers has learned a lot in their experience, having been in the club anywhere from one to three years.

    Senior Carolina Burcio says, “One thing I’ve learned is to have an open mind when meeting new people. You can learn really cool and fun things about people and connect on a deeper level if you just try to reach out and don’t judge them before you know them.”

    The seniors aren’t the only ones who’ve noticed their progress over the years. Their social development as leaders has improved greatly since their start as Natural Helpers.

    Each senior has made connections with their peers and helped make them more comfortable in school. It’s very common for seniors to have an influence on the classes below them and be able to set examples for them. They’ve also been able to learn different skills that they can use after high school.

    Farrell states, “I hope they’ve learned communication skills and working with all types of people. I also think they learned about being a good citizen that they can carry into college or their jobs in the future. Most importantly, I hope they’re learned the importance of helping other people. Something small like a smile can really change someone else’s day.”

    The impact that the seniors leave on their community does not go unnoticed by their peers. Many of the junior Natural Helpers have felt connected to them as role models and as friends.

    Junior Jaime Capozzi says, “I’ve been in Natural Helpers with most of the seniors since I joined, and they really helped make the club a fun place. They were there ready to help on the first day of training, and I’ve become friends with quite a few of them through Natural Helpers.”

    Many Natural Helpers are able to push their limits, helping themselves and others at the same time.

    Senior Steven Mingrone says, “I’ve learned how to connect with more people and become more outgoing. I’m a shy person so it can be difficult to form connections but this experience provided a lot of opportunities for me to become better at it.”

    Foran Natural Helpers will leave a lasting impression on their community for years to come, and their tradition will continue to impact their peers long into the future.