Phenomenal young men, women use group to socially develop

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Written by Katia Macklin, Staff Writer

In its first year at Newton High, the Brothers and Sisters of Virtue are making positive efforts to instill values in its members.

Every Thursday, many virtuous members from the organization wear their proud purple shirts to show off their devotion to what they believe.

“The purple shirts symbolize purity and royalty,” senior Eunice Jackson said. “The club basically teaches me how to act with a positive attitude and behavior.”

Special Education teacher Sonja Gillison is responsible for bringing the club to the school, and she said the club has been nothing less than a success.

“I started it about five years ago in Henry County at Dutchtown High School,” Gillison said. “Through this club, I feel like I’m fulfilling my purpose and God-given dream in a life-changing positive direction.”

Even though there are very few Brothers of Virtue, the club still consists of close to 200 virtuous members who have been participating in many acts of community service, such as making blankets for homeless shelters in Atlanta and collecting money for Haiti.

According to the club’s mission statement, its purpose is “to positively empower, educate, and beautify, young men and women to become self sufficient and confident individuals of society who view their bodies as sacred and beautiful gifts while taking their place in the community through social development.”

Sophomore Genefie Broadnax said she feels that from joining Sisters of Virtue, she has been receiving nothing less than a positive impact on her life.

“This club helped me see myself as a different person and I’m trying to better myself and change. It helps to have good people you can look up to, and [be able to] see the good side to a person that you never knew about,” said Broadnax.

Not targeting a specific gender, the ages are ranging from 6-12 grade who are struggling academically, socially and emotionally.

“My main goal is to expand to every high school in Georgia and see the program grow,” Gillison said.

With such a vast amount of committed student, the club has managed to recruit two sponsors: Instructional Aid Tracey Gaither, who is solely in charge of the Brothers of Virtue, and Science teacher Leann Morris, who is in charge of both groups.

“I feel like I’m doing something with my life that’s positive instead of just going home and doing nothing,” Broadnax said. “I love this club; it’s the best thing I could have ever joined and it was definitely not a mistake. This can really help me in the future.”