This article was posted by Jessie Sawyer and written by Canton Patch Local Editor John Fitts.
Fitness tips, martial arts demonstrations, college interviewing, food and Hartford Hawks basketball coach John Gallagher will all be featured at a free event for high school students next week.
For the past several months, a group of four Canton High School students have worked closely with staff at the Shoppes at Farmington Valley to plan for “Fit for the Future — A Youth Experience” a free event for area high school students on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Bridge Street Live, 41 Bridge St. in Collinsville.
A similar event for young women has been held for the past two years but this time the offering is open to high-school age boys as well. Also in addition to tips on college planning, interviewing skills, wardrobe suggestions and more, a strong fitness element has been added.
"I thought it would be good to do something active," said Jonathan Smith, one of the student organizers. "We thought that would attract more people."
Madison Siebers added that volunteering and community service is another important emphasis this year.
For several months, Smith, Siebers and fellow sophomores Riley Gaudet, and James Treacy have met with Shoppes general manager Denise Robidoux, Marketing & Operations Assistant Amy Ciesco and others to plan the event.
Students learned about running an event, which involves much planning, speaking to local businesses, designing logos, sending out press releases and more.
The Shoppes and Bridge Street Live are the event's primary sponsors but numerous other businesses support it with clothing, demonstrations, food and more.
Robidoux said the food will be good but healthy and the program will continue to emphasize practical advice, whether it's helping a student know what to say at a college interview or interesting them in a healthy, fun activity.
"We think people should go away with advice they know they can use later on," she said.
The program is funded through a grant and mentoring program. The event is free to all attendees and will be held on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Bridge Street Live - 41 Bridge Street in Collinsville.
The event is for area high school students only. The approximate schedule is as follows:
6:30 to 6:45 p.m. — Register and sign in
6:45 to 6:50 p.m. — Welcome by Riley Gaudet and Jonathan Smith
6:50 to 8 p.m. — Explore and Learn, breakout sessions
8 to 8:40 p.m. — Speakers
- Denise Robidoux, Shoppes general manager
- Dr. Jordan Grossman, Assistant superintendent of Schools
- James Treacy, Summit organizer
- John Gallagher - University of Hartford Hawks Men's Basketball coach.
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