Supporting Survivors Through Outreach and Prevention (STOP) Club at CKHS has taken an entirely new direction in leadership and meeting style.

STOP Club is a relatively new club, starting in 2020 with Amanda Ashmore as President with Jasmine San Juan taking over the consecutive year. San Juan graduated in 2022 and took a step away from club leadership, and *Ellie Larsen took over. 

Larsen immediately began making big changes to try to improve the club as a whole. 

“I made the decision at the beginning to completely get rid of leadership positions because I felt like it divided the club last year,” Larsen said. 

She wants to make the club environment more connected. Larsen aims to have the club work together on topics relating to healthy relationships and sexual assault at our school. 

“…[there’s] little things that we’ve changed that make the club feel more united,” Larsen said. “Like we sit in a circle, we take turns talking, whereas last year I definitely felt like leadership was talking to the club, rather than talking and having an open discussion.” 

Since leadership has been abolished within STOP Club, there are no longer the roles of ‘president’ and ‘vice president.’ One of STOP club’s most active members, Jasmine Borja, stays after school and helps direct many of the weekly discussion meetings every Wednesday.

“I just feel like having two leaders or one leader makes it hard for people to speak up,” Borja said. 

Borja works with the club’s advisors, Jennifer Rumpke and Erik Randall, to make the meetings feel like a safe space for any student. 

“I feel like last year it was more of… the awareness side. But this year, it’s more of the safe space side,” Borja said. “I think last year it was a lot more of social media posts. And then this year I want it to be more of like, somebody can find our club comforting.” 

STOP Club has long term goals to raise awareness about sexual assault at the school, and provide a place for students to feel comfortable enough speak up about the sexual health issues at CKHS. 

“It’s just a group of students that come together and discuss how to make the school a better place,” Larsen said. 

*Ellie Larsen is a staff member on the Cougar Chronicle.