Students at SLW Centennial High School Freshman Academy were treated to an assembly sponsored by School Board Member Dr. Donna Mills.
She introduced the guest speaker and gave a brief description of her responsibilities as a Board Member. She entertained the freshmen with how she was elected and re-elected to serve on the School Board. She also spoke about her continued efforts to support educators in St. Lucie County.
The guest speaker of the day was the CEO of the Boys and Girls Club, Mr. William Armstead. He opened up with his personal story of how he grew up in a large family and the trials and tribulations that come with living in Brooklyn. His main topic was about abuse and how we all need to talk to someone. Mr. Armstead’s message of “you don’t need to be blood to be family, and family is someone that listens and cares about you” simply resonated through the captive audience of freshman students. Many students in the audience were mesmerized by his stories of hope and inspiration. After building a rapport with the students about the serious effects of abuse and how to recognize and recover from it, he lightened things up with a brief question and answer period. He always kept reassuring students that abuse is detrimental to one’s self esteem and they must tell someone about it.
Mr. Armstead’s message to Centennial High School students was quite clear: Abuse is no joke! Many could be suffering from it but are too afraid to talk about it.
Centennial High School students were treated to an excellent guest speaker who gave words of advice and tips to become better and more productive students. The guest speaker at Centennial High School had a great message, and that message was: You’re never alone; there is always someone out there for you; it could be a friend, a parent, a teacher, a counselor; it could be anyone. You make the Difference!
