Serving the community since 1970
Serving the community since 1970
Audrey McPhetridge is one of the original leaders of the movement.
Anthony Olivas is another of the founding members of the organization.
Yesenia Gil said that she seized the opportunity to be in the group.
Jose Magana said that he gets satisfaction from watching the successes of his peers who he has helped along the way.
As the pandemic continued, a group of Shafter High students were feeling disconnected with their peers as they left the school campus to learn at home.
The group soon developed a solution to help better support their peers, starting a program called THRIVE.
Audrey McPhetridge, Yesenia Gil, Jose Magana and Anthony Olivas wanted to find a way to get their peers together after so much time by themselves.
"We could feel that the connectedness of the students was lacking we wanted to find a way to bring those peers back together," McPhetridge said.
They originally started the program with Zoom meetings in November, but it quickly evolved.
"I seized the opportunity to connect and help others in situations where they may feel alone or a little down," Gil said about becoming a leader in the group. "I believe that you can only truly feel fulfilled if you have lived a life of service."
"THRIVE is a time where students can receive the support they need to do better academically, socially, physically and spiritually," Magana said.
The leaders meet weekly as a team to collaborate and plan their group sessions based on student needs.
They also meet with Shafter High's Intervention staff for additional support and guidance.
"All it takes is one friend to motivate you and push you forward. We will all grow, improve, survive and celebrate together," Olivas, a junior, said. "The leaders also came up with tenants to guide the group."
THRIVE tenants are students that learn together will thrive together, we support each other through success and failures, and we will celebrate one another for their efforts.
They also have a motto that states, "No General will be left Behind!" and "We represent General PRIDE."
THRIVE support is multilingual and leaders can provide support in English and Spanish. If you are a student and interested in receiving additional support or if you are a parent and feel your child could benefit from peer connectivity, go to the Shafter High School website at shafter.kernhigh.org and click the link Student Request for Intervention and Supports. Complete the form and submit it. Someone from the THRIVE team will contact you.
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