PEP Receives National Award

Sorren Lugo

STAFF WRITER

Arieanna Ortiz (right) recruits for the PEP club. She was a part of the group that won the National Award

On July 20-23, 2018 the MoHS Peer Education Program (PEP) class won first place in the best T-Shirt design and most outstanding Youth Safety Group in the National Student Safety Program Conference held in Rosemont, Illinois. Recent graduates Sili Coffin, Jordyn Sanico, Patricia Ching, and current senior Arieanna Ortiz represented the PEP class in the national competition. Competing against other schools throughout the country, the team had to create and submit a scrapbook of all their campaign projects and events throughout the year.

PEP class advisor Wendy Botelho shared her thoughts on the national award. “I’m so happy! It makes me so proud to know that the students were recognized for all the hard work and the amount of time they put in throughout the year and to prepare for the conference,” Botelho said.

Senior Arieanna Ortiz, a PEP returnee who was a part of the success at the conference described how she felt when they won. “It felt unreal, we had so much fun doing it and we put a lot of hard work into and winning in two categories, its crazy,” Ortiz said. She also elaborated on how proud she is to leave a Moanalua PEP legacy while getting the chance to bond with her classmates.

Looking forward, Botelho shared her goals for this school year. “My students are excited to continue to inspire students and show them that they can make a difference, not only locally but nationally. The sky’s the limit to what they can achieve,” Botelho said.