A high school senior stands at the entrance to Meeting Room 2 in the main office. In that room sits a round table full of freshman new to Palatine High School and new to Trust. This was the situation for twelve students last year who are now seniors but is now the situation for twelve new juniors joining the Circle of Trust.

Trust, defined as “teens reaching understanding students together” has been at Palatine High School for about 28 years.

Junior Trust leaders lead freshman students with the purpose of transitioning them into high school. Junior leaders are looked at to be positive role models and help to promote the formation of new friendships in a nonthreatening environment. The following year the same twelve people that were junior leaders become the senior leaders, leading groups of sophomores.

These seniors are still expected to be positive role models, but sophomore year focuses less on friends and more on deeper topics. These deeper topics are important life skills such as goal setting, time and stress management as well as decision making.  Senior Trust leader Kiera Gavin is excited for her second year of leading because of these topics because she feels like she has even more of an opportunity to help people.

Some Trust leaders were in a group during their freshman year. Senior leader Dalia Marquez was inspired by her leaders’ freshman year. She said that, “[Dalia] felt disoriented and joined groups to meet new people,” so the point of freshman year worked for her. She wanted to become a Trust leader to be the same mentor and leader that she got to experience during her freshman year. She wants the kids in her group to be able to look to her for help either with academic or emotional problems.

Another senior leader, Kelly O’Brien, had similar reasons for becoming a leader. She wanted to “be a role model and someone who people could go to for anything.” Grapenthin has stated many times that the previous statement is one of the main purposes for Trust and why she is overjoyed with the leaders that she has chosen.