November 6, 2009

 

PAINTED POST-- We all know the game of life can be challenging.  So some kids in the Corning-Painted Post school district are getting ready for life's challenges by acting them out. 
     “Winning From Within,” that was the theme of the 15th annual leadership conference in Painted Post.
     Community leaders spoke to about 60 students from Corning East and West High Schools about life's challenges and getting through them in a way that works for you.
     Then students acted out what they learned.
     “I'm like driving them around trying to figure out their destination while I'm kind of helping them on the way,” Corning East senior Kirsten Vine said.
     Vine was the driver on the bus of life.
     Her passengers got off when they saw fit and in turn, “winning from within.”
     “I went to radio and then i was at the zoo, and i went skydiving and then i found what i really wanted to do - being an engineer and having fun,” Corning East sophomore Indy Harrington said.
     Like many people in life, Corning East sophomore Indy Harrington portrayed someone who changed careers a few times which organizers say isn't a bad thing.
    “(It's really about) being yourself and doing your thing and following the path that you want to follows; schooling doesn't always match what you end up doing in life,”  said Eileen Bell, with the Kiwanis Club of Corning.
     Kids say the skits are always the most fun, but are they getting the point?
     “I can ask for advice from people around me but in the end it's my decision and it comes from me, so I should choose for myself,” Vine added.
     C-PP district leaders say a day of learning about personal growth and integrity is worth forgoing a day of school.