It is in times of trouble that leaders are able to set themselves apart from everyone else. Chick-fil-a Leadership Academy is a group for highschool students from across the nation with a focus on making impacts through action, accepting a select number of high school students with the potential to become great leaders within our communities to participate. 

The Greater Latrobe students of Chick-fil-a Leadership Academy were originally supposed to participate as a group in one big project to impact our community, but due to the Coronavirus pandemic, their task became making the greatest difference possible as individuals or small groups. 

Sophomores Hannah Gentilo and Jaelyn McHenry are just two of the many people who rose to the challenge to create something that will leave a lasting impact.  When tasked with creating the project, the girls got to brainstorming right away, with their final decision being to do something with their community, for their community.

The girls asked friends to spread the word and posted to social media looking for students who wanted to help them. They asked for people who were willing to creatively design a letter of the alphabet, take a selfie with it, and send it in. Those selfies were then arranged into the phrase “Thank you teachers and staff!” 25 students were willing to help spread this message! 

Gentilo and McHenry also made a video individually thanking different branches of GLSD’s staff with videos from ten students. The selfie picture is also embedded at the end of the video. The entire project can be found on instagram at Instagram @glsd_cfa_leadershipacademy. It was also shared in a mass email to staff.

Even during unprecedented events, it is clear to see that leaders such as Hannah Gentilo and Jaelyn McHenry will stand up and support those who deserve recognition, even amidst these unprecedented circumstances.