During second semester, the Packers for Action (PFA) club began. Sophomore Oscar David Molina-Alfaro and South High social studies teacher Sarah Gonzales decided to start an advocacy group where they discuss South and their plans to make it a better place for students.
This club is student-led, meaning the students decide what they like to see changed around the school or in the community. They are aiming to create a more inclusive environment for everyone; this includes considering mental health, accessibility and anything else that can help students feel more comfortable or accepted here at South High.
The inspiration for PFA came when they attended the IncluCity Retreat. During this retreat, attendees participated in activities in which they learned how to embrace diversity and how to work toward a more inclusive community.
“At the end of the camp, we had time to brainstorm how we could take what we learned with us back to school. As we were all throwing out ideas, we thought it would be a great idea to start a club to consistently work toward achieving some of the big goals we had,” said Gonzalez.
Right now, the club’s priority is to increase student access to menstrual products at school. They reached out to Access Period, a local organization, which made them aware about LB1050, a bill that would require districts to provide free menstrual products for students. With the help of Access Period, members of PAC helped the group write postcards to Nebraska senators in support of the bill.
According to Gonzalez, this is just the beginning of PFA. The club may only be a month old, but they anticipate seeing their smaller goals come to fruition before moving onto bigger goals.
“We are working to expand in the school, community and other schools. Besides advocating for LB1050, we also plan to help middle schoolers transition into high schoolers and hope to get a therapy dog,” shared Alfaro.
PFA is open for anyone to join. They meet every Friday after school in Room 467 if you would like to be a part of the change. To stay up to date on the club’s latest initiatives and events, follow them on Instagram at @ops_southpfa!
