Senior Natural Helpers leader Caleb Mesick said he feels one of the things he accomplished over the year was spreading the word about Natural Helpers to the student population.

“We wanted to do more, but it wasn’t realistic. I thought we did well at getting more people to know about (the club),” Mesick said. “We tried our best to get people to know about us, but it is tough because it is still people having to come to us for help, and we can only do so much.”

Natural Helpers announced their leaders for next year, juniors Anika Hanson and Rachel Salzer, May 31. Freshman Ainsley Preston Pepperell said she looks forward to next year with the new leaders.

“I think they’re going to be really great. The junior girls that are taking over are really sweet, and I think they’ll do a great job,” Preston Pepperell said.

Mesick said leading Natural Helpers taught him useful skills.  

“It was enjoyable, and I felt like I learned a lot, especially in leadership skills. I think the leaders we had this year were a good mix,” Mesick said.

Preston Pepperell said she enjoys Natural Helpers because the club helps to build positive connections.

“I really like Natural Helpers because it’s a really good community, and everyone gets along really well,” Preston Pepperell said. “It’s a good way for me to feel like I am involved with what is going on but still be a little bit further back because I am not doing things for people, just helping them through their problems.”

A change in the club this past year was the amount of training the Natural Helpers received, according to club adviser Andrew Carlson.

“We did two trainings this year instead of one, and we found it was very beneficial to do one in the fall and a follow up one during the winter time to freshen what we learned about mindful listening,” Carlson said.

Mesick said he feels comfortable leaving Natural Helpers to the future leaders.

“I feel like it’s in the best spot that I’ve seen it. I wish I could stay and help,” Mesick said.

Carlson said next year he hopes to advertise the club even more because students should know about the help available to them.

“We hope to continue getting the word out there to advertise to students that this is something available to them if they’re having any sort of issues and don’t feel like they can go to a counselor or teacher, that they have peers that are trained in listening and being there for students,” Carlson said.

Carlson said next year, the club will be advertising for new recruitments during freshman orientation, who will be able to join during first semester instead of second semester.

“We found out that we are going to be advertising during freshman orientation to kind of start up in the fall for the freshman and other students who want to join,” Carlson said.