The Sophomore Senior Program, also known as SSP, is not new. It has been running since fall of 2001, started by teacher Tammy Hilliard. The advisors for SSP are teachers Jaclyn Moore, John Carlin, and Tammy Hilliard.
SSP runs every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during all lunch hours. A lunch is held in room 143, B lunch is held in room 166, and C lunch is held in room 153. The program is open to all sophomores and seniors. Those who decide to attend can eat lunch in the classroom, where various activities are also held.
SSP is not just to have fun during lunch periods. The group also does fundraisers. Just this year they have held a leaf run and cleaned up around the neighborhood and are currently holding a Christmas fundraiser. Their hope for the Christmas fundraiser is to raise enough money to buy gifts for children.
The program means a lot to Hilliard, as she has been in it for 24 years.
“SSP is my legacy here at Utica and I love running this program,” Hilliard said. “I love being involved with the students and creating a family during lunch.”
Although the students in SSP may think it is a simple and fun way to get out of the lunchroom, the teachers see it as more than that.
“The purpose is to build the culture,” Carlin said. “There is a connection that gets built between the sophomores and seniors.”
The program prepares seniors for life after high school and gives them skills.
“The point of SSP is to help sophomores get acclimated to the school, get to know some of the Seniors and build those relationships,” Moore said. “And Seniors learn how to be great leaders for their future. It really is like a little family.”
The Sophomore Senior Program is a good break from the school environment. The program will continue to run and help students foster connections with one another through eating lunch together, playing games together, and just talking with each other.
