MIYAH MARTIN
Contributor
Interact clubs from Marion County, South Pittsburg, and Whitwell High Schools presented their services showcased under the theme “Service Above Self.” The presentation was held at South Pittsburg’s Princess Theatre last Thursday at 6 p.m. The admission was free and people from all around were encouraged to attend.
The showcase began with an introduction by Jeff Roberston of The South Pittsburg Rotary Club and alumni Interact members Locke Collier, class of 2024 at SPHS, Grace Gholston, class of 2023 at WHS, and Jesse Peacock, class of 2024 at MCHS. They all presented their personal improvement from being in the Interact Club. Common benefactors that were mentioned were leadership skills and pushing yourself to break out of your comfort zone.
Samantha Tierney of SPHS gave a detailed speech on RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.) RYLA is organized by Rotary clubs and invites Interact Club members from different districts, giving them an experience to develop leadership qualities and make meaningful connections. Following this, members from each school rose onto the stage to show their recent accomplishments within the club. To start, Abby Dodson, current president of MCHS’s Interact Club, began with an introduction of projects that the school arranged. The same went for each of the school’s other Interact Officers.
The event was to prepare current groups for the annual District Interact Conference in March. The conference will take place in Pigeon Forge, where they present themselves with other clubs within their district and region. The conference gives Interact Clubs an opportunity to celebrate and support one another by presenting their achievements. However, as was mentioned within the presentation, the trip is not cheap. For this reason, a donation of $500 was given to each school by the Rotary club during the presentation and a silent auction was also held.
This event was made possible by the Rotary Club. Rotary is a long standing sponsor of Interact Clubs. Each club is organized to bring people together through volunteer work. All involved are beneficial to everyone within the organization and community, and each Interact Club from all three schools have expressed thankfulness to be given the opportunity to travel to Pigeon Forge this March.
Photos by Miyah Martin