PEORIA, Ill. — Manual High School was buzzing with community members Thursday evening to learn how they can help with Lights On, Peoria.
Lights On, Peoria is a $3.4 million grant funded by the Department of Education that will help fill in gaps for high school students in the city’s Qualified Opportunity Zones. These zones are where many Manual High School and Peoria High School students live.
Lights On, Peoria will be held every Friday and Saturday night, switching between the high schools, from 7:00-9:30 p.m.
Demario Boone, Chief of School Safety for Peoria Public Schools, said they want to offer lots of activities.
“We want to have swimming, haircuts, hair braiding, physical fitness, a music studio,” Boone said. “And that’s why we are trying to get as many from the community to come in and pour into the students to help offer all of those things.”
Other activities include having a film studio, a game room, opportunities to do laundry, job help, and more access to counselors.
Boone said it is perfect to host this event at their school.
“Because you have the adults here to wrap around these students and be there for them. And it’s safety. We want to make sure we give them food, shelter, and safety,” Boone said.
A goal with Lights On, Peoria is to prevent youth violence.
“We want to give them something positive to do. And we want to show them the village does care,” Boone said.
Stacy Grey, School Resource Officer for District 150 and a Manual High alum, said it is a perfect solution for the kids.
“Something productive and healthy for them to do. Something that is going to pique their interests [and] introduce them to things that they may not have thought was and interest. And give them good leadership to develop those skills,” Grey said.
She said that it will change so much.
“It will help their social/emotional skills, it will help them get not so used to the technology aspect of it and start interacting with people more,” Grey said. “It’s going to show that people in the schools and people in the schools and community are working together so they are successful in and out of schools.”
Grey agrees that programs like this will help reduce youth violence.
“If we give our kids productive things to do, it’s less likely that they will even have time to focus anything other than bettering themselves, honing their skills, meeting people in a healthy way, building communication,” Grey said.
The first event will be held on February 7 and 8, at Manual High School for Manual High students. Then, the next weekend the event will be held at Peoria High School for Peoria High students. The weekends will switch on and off through the school year.
