SV students attend 20th annual Culture Jam

SHOUT members attend Culture Jam

Seneca Valley (SV) students joined nearly 100 other high schoolers from across the region for the 20th annual Culture Jam, a student-led and produced conference focused on diversity. On Friday, January 12, Mr. Ashley Porter, Equity Supervisor and Title IX Coordinator, took several students to The Ellis School in Pittsburgh for a day filled with inspiring workshops and presentations aimed to invoke meaningful change in their lives and communities.

Designed to empower students to have courageous conversations alongside their peers, Culture Jam offers students the opportunity to connect and ignite the sparks of authentic change within their own schools. This year’s theme, “Creating Peace from Peril,” focused on the ability to reimagine hardships as opportunities for growth.

Additionally, SV members in the Social Handprints Overcoming Unjust Treatment (SHOUT) club presented a workshop on “Calling In vs. Calling Out,” a strategy to interrupt bias, hate speech or other discriminatory behaviors that cause harm to others. Presenters included freshmen Jaycee Shaw, Faye McCormick, Sophia Giacomi and Mariana Escobar, along with junior Leo Slacker and senior Jillian Weiss.

“This event provided our students with the chance to engage in activities and workshops alongside their peers from across the Pittsburgh region,” said Mr. Porter. “As summit presenters, they had the opportunity to showcase leadership skills, actively contributing to the learning and growth of their fellow students. We look forward to returning next year, eager to participate again and offer another valuable learning experience for students in our community.”