The youth are the future of our community, and, as such, should be provided with every opportunity to learn and prepare themselves for whatever path they choose in life.

We are, therefore, fortunate, that the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce has offered a program to do just that. For almost 30 years, the Weirton Chamber has organized Youth Leadership Weirton, a seven-month program providing guidance and mentoring through sessions focused on life skills such as teamwork, goal setting, and ethics.

Bringing together 30 sophomores from Weir, Madonna, Brooke, and Oak Glen high schools, Youth Leadership provides a chance for participating students to meet peers from other schools and backgrounds, recognize aspects of themselves and others and how their personalities can influence their choices in life and how they are perceived, how to accomplish tasks with others, and more about the various aspects of a society itself.

Members of the 2025 class of Youth Leadership Weirton are Landon Burdine, Pete Fodor, Ivy Myers, Andrew Petrella, Onica Rushing, and Sophia Wilkerson, from Brooke High; Brooklynn Cherepko, Danyka DeCaria, Lucia DiBacco, Jake Goddard, Marleigh O’Brien, Madison Owens, Lacy Quering, and Sophia Soly, from Madonna High; Halle Baumgarner, Derrick Bowersox, Roxye Brown, Trystan Easton, Jessa Fields, Leah McMahan, Kylie Robinson, Keira Vick, Alexandria Watkins, and Addyson Wells, from Oak Glen; and Aubrie Cain, Kaydence Cain, Landon Haught, Alana Hukill, and Guy Meneely, from Weir High.

They gathered for one final time as a class Sunday afternoon to celebrate their time together and all they accomplished as a class, but we hope the relationships, lessons and experiences will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

We take this time to offer our congratulations to the class and wish them well as they move forward along the paths of their lives.