Because Mrs. Powell has taken a permanent position at Appleton East, she has stepped down as advisor of Peer Helpers, leaving Mrs. Pynenberg and Mrs. Bruce as her successors. Along with this, it has been announced that Key Club and Peer Helpers are merging together this year with Mrs. Pynenberg and Mrs. Bruce co-leading this new club. The new name for this club is Peers and Key Club. According to their website, the peer part of the name is influenced from “regarding anything within Appleton North’s walls” and the key club part is influenced by “a connection to the community.” Peer Helpers and Key club have always had a singular purpose in mind, even before these two combined to help others.

Peer Helpers was in charge of the anti-bullying campaigns in the fall and the Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU) education programs in the local elementary schools. The members also participated in a training seminar on how to effectively present and role model positive behavior at North.

Key club, on the other hand is a club dedicated to making a difference in the community outside of Appleton North. They are the ones that organized the Special Olympics basketball game last year for high schoolers with special needs in Appleton and surrounding areas. Throughout the year, they organized food drives, raising money for charities, and taking on community-based projects that help foster leadership and creativity in their members. Mrs. Pynenberg said that she plans for the club this year to have many events that “pique the interests of our diverse members.” In this month alone she said, ”We (Key Club) worked alongside our sponsoring Kiwanis at Quarry Quest, held a training for club members (Peer Helpers) on time management, are planning a fashion show for the residents at Century Oaks Assisted Living Center, as well as a Homecoming Social to help students with special needs make connections.”

Mrs. Pynenberg hopes that  Peer Helpers will participate in Key Club events,  and she stated, “by combining the clubs and bringing the effort to support and lead at school and beyond, we have become more organized and structured.”