Whether it’s planning a canned food drive with her students in leadership, or coordinating a dance performance to advocate for social justice with her dance classes, Jennifer Bedrosian serves her community in a way that impacts everyone around her.
“Jen is one of those people that make our community a better place by promoting student work to the community and showing the community all the positive things that happen at PRHS,” said Jennifer Martinez, who has been co-teaching the leadership classes at the high school with Bedrosian for 3 years.
Bedrosian has been a teacher at PRHS for 14 years and is the only teacher on campus who teaches 6 separate classes: Beginning Dance, Intermediate Dance, Advanced Dance, Leadership, Advanced Leadership, and Link crew (a class meant for upperclassmen to provide support to new freshmen).
“From constantly supporting her students in their personal needs to helping with community impact events such as the can food drive to even just saying hello when you pass by her in the halls she always manages to put a smile on your face,” said senior Sarah Krum who has been a leadership student of Bedrosian for 4 years.
As a leadership teacher, Bedrosian teaches her students valuable lessons about leadership –one of which is how to serve your community. Leadership students are required to log community service hours each semester, and they coordinate various events to help out our community such as annual canned food drives, and blood drives.
As the dance teacher on campus, Bedrosian helps teach and inspire her already talented dancers to become more skilled dancers. She and her dance class believe in supporting their community through their creative expression. This school year they have performed for two social justice events: the MLK memorial event at PRHS on Jan. 13, 2022, and the Coming Out Against Hate Forum Event at PRHS on Oct. 20, 2021.
“By using the arts to speak for social justices, Mrs. Bedrosian has contributed in creating a better community for all,” said senior Reese Hartley, who has been a leadership and dance student of Bedrosian for 4 years.
Many of Bedrosians students admire her hard work and dedication for her classes. It can sometimes take a full day to prepare for lessons and when she is preparing for an event such as a school pep rally or a dance performance she spends countless hours preparing for it in the weeks leading up to the event.
“Between all of her personal community service and everything she does for leadership Mrs. B always puts effort into what she does for others and others always come before herself. She’s such a selfless lady even when times are challenging for her personally and I really admire her for that,”
Krum said.
Bedrosian encourages her students to get involved with helping out their community while they are in highschool so that they are prepared to serve after graduation.
“There are so many ways to serve, but when there is a cause that is important, reach out to the organizations that you can support. If you have a strong passion for childhood cancer, homelessness, make-a-wish, literacy, athletics, clean water, whatever…there are already organizations out there that are ready to support you in your efforts,” Bedrosian said. “High school is the rehearsal, the practice for knowing how to get involved as an adult.”
