YOUNG LEADERS — Members of the Youth Leadership Weirton Class of 2025 took part in their graduation luncheon Sunday, held at Giometti Catering. Youth Leadership Weirton is an annual program offered by the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce. -- Craig Howell

WEIRTON — The area’s newest group of young leaders took center stage Sunday, as they, along with their families, celebrated their accomplishments as the 2025 class of Youth Leadership Weirton.

Youth Leadership Weirton is an annual program, organized through the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce, where up to 30 local high school sophomores take part in monthly sessions designed to prepare them for employment and life.

“We’ve been doing these programs for 28 years,” explained Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce President Brenda Mull during Sunday’s graduation luncheon held at Giometti Catering.

Youth Leadership Weirton offers lessons and activities focused on teamwork, personality, ethics, goal setting, and the workings of a society, with students from Weir, Oak Glen, Madonna, and Brooke high schools gathering once each month to explore what they know and gain new skills to assist them in their future.

“Each year is a little bit of a different experience,” Mull said, noting each class has its own mix of personalities and reactions to the sessions.

The class is selected through a blind process by members of the chamber’s Education Committee, with an application to include students’ grade point average, school and community activities, and an essay on what they would do if they were principal for a day.

The class began its year in September with the Teamwork session, where they were split into groups and tasked with preparing a meal, which then was judged. The session was hosted at Blue Stream Farms, with ingredients provided by Birch Creek Farmery.

Other sessions were held at Christ United Methodist Church.

True Colors, led by Carole Scheerbaum, explored personality traits, and how they may compare and conflict with each other, in an effort to better understand how each may react to situations in life.

The SIMSOC – or Simulated Society exercise – was led by Stephanie O’Brien and Brandon Palmeri, providing a glimpse into the inner workings and levels of a community.

Integrity and Vision, guided by Kal Gupta and Joe Paolo, provided a chance to think about the importance of ethics and setting goals.

When asked Sunday, members of the class noted they learned about the importance of collaborating with others, patience, that it’s OK to be themselves, to look for opportunities to get out of their comfort zones, and that not everything works out as planned.

“The Education Committee and Chamber feel this program is monumental in teaching leadership,” Mull said.

Members of the 2025 Class of Youth Leadership were: 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.