SALEM STATE COLLEGE HOSTS HIGH SCHOOL LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP

On October 12, 2007, the Salem State College Athletic Department and the College's Sport, Fitness & Leisure Studies Department hosted 360 area high school student-athletes and presented a variety of speakers and programs to assist young athletes in becoming better leaders in their respective communities.

The program began with opening remarks from Dr. Stanley P. Cahill, Executive Vice President of Salem State College, who was followed by the keynote speaker, Peter Roby, the recently appointed Director of Athletics at Northeastern University and former Director of the Center
for Sport in Society.

Each of twelve North Shore high schools from the Northeastern Conference sent 30 of their top student-athletes to participate.  The student athletes were randomly assigned to twelve sub-groups for break-out sessions.  Each session was facilitated by a team made up of a Salem
State faculty member and a high school athletic director.  Topics of discussion ranged from sportsmanship, alcohol and drug abuse, hazing, health issues, conflict resolution and much more.

After lunch, the program concluded with a presentation entitled "Body Image" by Karen Hruska, a member of Salem State's Counseling & Health Services.

Mike Plansky, the Director of Athletics at Marblehead High School, coordinated and organized most of the details in order for this event to be a success.  The twelve high schools participating were:  Marblehead, Salem, Peabody, Danvers, Beverly, Lynn English, Lynn Classical,
Gloucester, Winthrop, Saugus, Swampscott and Revere.