On Oct. 7, the Health Information Project (HIP) officially began its 6th year with a full day training session in the library.
With a new board of student members as well as teachers Suzanne Landsom and Michael Gambrell as sponsors, the club is hoping to engage the freshmen class in a mutual conversation about issues that all students face when first coming into high school.
“So far, the HIP members are very enthusiastic about teaching the freshmen.  I’m very pleased with how everything is going,” said Landsom.
Like any other club, HIP members are required to attend meetings, held every other Wednesday.   However, these meetings are made up of two-hour training sessions where the students, also known as Peer Health Educators (PHEs), read and study different modules presented in a booklet provided by the HIP organization.
The HIP student board is fully composed of seniors.  There are two presidents on the board, Dominic Benitez and Joao Guimaraes. The rest of the board is comprised of Isabela Medina, vice president, and Olivia Carbi and Alison Riemer, both secretaries.
“I believe that students should be informed about everything that HIP teaches before they actually experience these things.  I also joined HIP because I really like teaching and talking in front of other people.  HIP gives me this opportunity,” said junior Joao Guimaraes.
The club takes training its PHEs very seriously, considering that they will be relaying vital information to younger students.
“I not only like that we’re teaching and raising awareness in other students but I feel that we are actually learning from the modules as well. I would really suggest this club to sophomores who can join in the upcoming year because it has been a great experience for me,” said senior Sofia Espinosa.
The club plans to spread awareness about several issues including mental health, relationships, nutrition, and how to lead a healthy lifestyle.  The first HIP session took place on Oct. 19, with the remaining seven scheduled for every other Monday during science classes.