By PHOEBE DONALD ROBINSON / Community Columnist

It is tough to be a teenager in today’s world.

Authority is challenged, values are skewed and pop culture has no limits.

In 2009 the National Association of Peer Program Professionals was established with its vision to establish a culture of people helping people (Peerprogramsprofessionals.org.).

Shelby County High School implemented a new program in the 2014-2015 school year where peers helped others in a program called Peer Helpers.

Science teacher Dr. Jennifer Moore is the SCHS faculty sponsor for Peer Helpers.

Moore came up with the idea to produce a video to explain the Peer Helpers vision.

SCHS Principal Gene Rogers and Assistant Principal Barbara Snyder provided all the resources needed to produce the video.

Ricky Harmon, SCHS Class of 1990, and father of Gabby (Class of 2015), twins Matti and Merritt (Class of 2017), Ricky (Class of 2019) and Olivia (Class of 2022) produced the four-minute video.

Harmon is the creative services manager of Spectrum Reach and had five brothers and sisters who also graduated from SCHS.

“I so appreciated the chance to do this,” said Ricky. “I loved every bit of it, especially working with my daughter Gabby and the school I love.”

SCHS Peer Helpers for 2014-2015 were Gabby Harmon, Kaitlin Bosshart, Nathan Brom, Heather Childers, Daniel Creekmore, Kayla Dunphy, Anna Folmar, Ryan Harmon, Jordan Howard, Grayson Littleton and Breanna Noland.

Gabby and Breanna organized the participating students in the video and made sure everyone made their call time and sign the day of the shoot.

Ryan Harmon provided technical support for his uncle Ricky during the shoot, which had the song “In the Middle” sung by Jimmy Needham as background music.

The video had its debut broadcast to the school over Wildcat TV on May 14 and is available for public viewing of the SCHS website, Shelbyed.k12.al.us/schools/schs/students.html.

“My hope is that the video inspires current and future SCHS students to help each other reach their potential; that they will lift up the fallen rather than push them down or ignore them,” said Ricky. “Being children of God we have great potential, but we can’t achieve it without our Savior and each other.”