ROAR is back for the 2021-22 school year, and will be take place on November 18 at West Chicago Community High School.
Every year, West Chicago Community High School hosts ROAR, a one-day event that usually takes place three times every year, but this is the first one since the global pandemic.
When asked what students do at ROAR, advisor Jennifer Culbertson said, “It is a secret.”
Secrets aside, ROAR allows people to get together to talk about their feelings and inner selves. Many students make new friends or reconnect with old ones.

As Culbertson said, “ROAR is a program designed to support students’ social and emotional needs.”
Students interested in serving as mentors at the event apply, and are carefully interviewed. This year, ROAR took on 34 new mentors, who will advise other students at the event in November. This year’s mentors include (in alphabetical order): William Antonio, Diego Avalos, Darianna Avila, Philip Calabrese, Jaclyn Camp, Julissa Castillo, Alexa Correa, Brianna Correa, Shantal Correa, Melanie Coss, Betzaida Eurioles, Javier Garcia, Effie Giannoudakos, Maggie Hancock, Andrea Hernandez, Itzel Hernandez, Shayla Hernandez, Mikail Herrera, Mariana Lopez, Itzel Martinez, Grace Miller, Gema Morales-Arias, Lizbeth Orozco, Gabriela Perez, Isabel Poulterer, Ayden Russo, Dayanna Sanchez, Eden Santana, Cecilia Santiago, Yajaira Santillan-Contreras, Santiago Villa, Robert Washington Jr., Kathryn Wenberg and LaToya Wright.
ROAR is accessed by invitation only. Once invited, students can either say yes or no to attending the all-day event.
When asked the age range, Culbertson said, “Ninth to twelfth are welcome!”
Those attending ROAR this year are encouraged to email The Wildcat Chronicle with an update.