A group of Pryor High School seniors is working together to make the campus a more welcoming place for all students. Under the guidance of the adult Change Starts With Me action team, these student leaders have brought back the Ambassador Club—an initiative originally launched during the 2019–2020 school year.
This year’s Ambassador Club is made up of Heaven Montilepre, Sara Grobele, Jarrett Cowan, Brooklyn Keenan, and Ne'Vaeh Rogers. Club sponsors Donna and Katie Hendrickson, who are also members of the adult action team, brought the idea to student leaders, who quickly agreed it was the perfect time to revive the club’s mission.
The Ambassador Club focuses on promoting kindness, providing safe spaces, and ensuring that new students feel supported and connected from their first day on campus. Their goal is simple: to highlight and strengthen the welcoming community that defines PHS.
Students Supporting Students
Heaven Montilepre knows firsthand how difficult it can be to enter a new school. She moved to Pryor from out of state in the eighth grade and arrived at Pryor Middle School not knowing anyone.
“It was intimidating; I didn’t know anyone, but I was able to make friends in Ag,” she said. It was in those agriculture classes that she met fellow Ambassador and senior Jarrett Cowan.
Cowan shared how beneficial student involvement can be, especially through organizations like FFA. He said that getting involved in student activities and making connections from middle school to high school is a major benefit of being in FFA. Cowan added that these connections extend beyond campus through community service projects that strengthen ties with the larger Pryor community.
Ne’Vaeh Rogers also remembers feeling out of place on her first day in Pryor. “I was in a small class and didn’t know anyone. I did cry,” she said. Now a senior, Rogers is determined to ensure no student feels alone. She hopes no student ever has to sit by themselves in the library at lunch.
Montilepre echoed that sentiment, explaining that Ambassador Club members intentionally make sure new students have people to talk with and sit with during lunch. She said that having a group to interact with helps students learn about the school. The club can create a comfortable environment for new students as they learn their way around and find their niche.
Kindness Week: November 17–21
Actively working to promote positive change on campus, the Ambassador Club has planned a week-long kindness initiative set for November 17–21. Each day will feature activities designed to help students strengthen kindness as a daily habit.
Ambassador Club sponsor Donna Hendrickson shared that teachers will have the opportunity to sign up to have their doors decorated by students as part of the celebration. The purpose of Kindness Week, she said, is “to create a space to step back and ask, What can I do for others?”
Building Purpose and Belonging
Donna Hendrickson said the club is already having a positive impact. Students who weren’t previously involved in activities are now joining in and enjoying the experience. “If you have a purpose to come to school, it is more enjoyable. Everyone wants to be needed and have a voice,” she said.
The Ambassador Club is helping to make that happen—one welcoming gesture, one kind word, and one connection at a time.