COWETA KIDS CARE

Written by SUSAN MAYER DAVIS

Abby Collins, a senior at Northgate High School in Newnan, feels called to use her life to help others.

The daughter of Jason Collins, teaching pastor at Community Christian Church in Sharpsburg, and Helga Collins, an AP calculus teacher at Northgate, Abby serves her fellow students through the Northgate Ambassador’s program. With students attending both virtually and in-person since the onset of COVID-19, the instability in routine has been especially hard on some high school students, particularly freshman, according to Abby.

“As school ambassadors, we reach out to students one-on-one and offer help when they return to in-person learning or any time they need us,” she says. That help may take the form of mentoring, homework assistance or simply listening.

Another project the Northgate Ambassadors address head-on is bullying. Since the ambassadors are not currently allowed to enter elementary schools due to health concerns, they recently put together a virtual program that they shared with the younger students. Over the holidays, they worked with other organizations to provide food and gifts to families in need.

The senior class president at Northgate, Abby is a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club and the swim team and serves as president of the cross-country team. She also teaches a K-3 Sunday school class at her church. Although she hasn’t decided on her career choice, she’s leaning toward becoming a speech pathologist.

“I know I want to help people,” she says, “and speech pathology is a way to do that by improving lives through individual attention and caring.” NCM