(12/23/2024) Every month, 140 high school students from Anoka and Coon Rapids high schools link up to support sixth-graders in over 30 health classes across the district, all thanks to a 25-plus year partnership with the University of Minnesota Extension’s 4-H “Youth Teaching Youth” program. 

The program trains eligible high school students to teach lessons to younger students about healthy living while developing leadership and public speaking experience and engaging in opportunities for career exploration. Student leaders are selected and named “Teen Teachers” at the start of each school year and participate in a full day of training. Once a month, Youth Teaching Youth teams at each high school regroup to develop teaching schedules, refresh their knowledge on the current topic of focus and plan for the upcoming lesson.

“The lessons reinforce what we’re already doing in class, but engage students in smaller groups,” explained Lindsey Fedder, a health teacher at Oak View Middle School. In December, students discussed stress management. Other topics throughout the year include alcohol and nicotine; tobacco and advertising; vaping and peer pressure; bullying, internet safety and managing conflict in relationships.

“Today, we talked about how some stress is normal and healthy; but over a long period of time it can become a bigger issue,” said Beth Heimerl, another health teacher at Oak View Middle School. “It’s not their problem to solve on their own, they can seek help. These lessons provide them with knowledge and skills to access information to find help  they may need someday.”

The lessons are paired with interactive components. To accompany stress management, students discussed the level of stress that potential scenarios could create - and how to move forward from it. Students brainstormed and practiced coping strategies such as deep breathing, relaxation and meditation; and covered how to talk through stressful situations with someone trustworthy.

Aiden Ongoro, a tenth-grade student at Anoka High School said, “It’s cool to share beneficial lessons with students. I can think of times when I could have used the information that we are sharing when I was younger.” His twin brother, Ashton, joins him as a 4-H Teen Teacher. “We get to connect with kids and give them a chance to express themselves and learn the information [about accessing resources].”

View photos from a recent visit at Oak View Middle School.