Athletes & Academics Join Forces to Guide Younger Students

Brentwood, NY (March 2020)—Brentwood Union Free School District’s athletes and academics have joined forces to guide their younger students lead positive lifestyles as they mature. Dozens of Brentwood High School’s student-athletes are involved in a program, Athletes Helping Athletes (AHA), that meet with younger students to discuss the significance of leading a drug-free lifestyle, the advantages of being involved in extracurricular activities, and the value of working towards a leadership position in the community.

“The district’s Athletes Helping Athletes (AHA) program is a phenomenal program that better acquaints our upperclassmen with young students in the district,” said Mr. Richard Loeschner, superintendent of Brentwood Union Free School District. “We have an exceptional group of students involved in AHA who are devoted to providing proper guidance to others. It inspires us as faculty to experience first-hand the impact our high school students have on children in the lower grades.”

Throughout the school year, Brentwood’s AHA members make visits to several buildings in the district to speak with younger students as friends in a relaxed, and inclusive environment. Visits cover a variety of topics including substance abuse and self-esteem. At the program’s most recent visit, AHA students discussed sportsmanship and bullying. Brentwood’s middle school students are encouraged to ask questions in a judgement-free zone and hear first-hand stories about how the AHA members have resolved complex situations they may have found themselves or friends in.

The Athletes Helping Athletes organization trains and prepares high school student athlete leaders to address complex social issues and provide alternative solutions to the peer pressure often times faced by younger members of the community.

For more information about the Brentwood Union Free School District, please visit the district’s website at www.http://bufsd.org/ and ‘like’ our Facebook page: @BrentwoodUnionFreeSchoolDistrict.