On Wednesday, April 10, students gathered in the auditorium for Freedom’s annual Hero in the Hallway assembly.

The assembly featured a variety of students participating in both performances and social experiments.

“My favorite part of the assembly was when Lizzy [Morales] and Mr. Markosky went on stage,” said senior Rebecca Sertse. “It was really heartwarming.”

The Morales and Markosky went on stage to discuss their insecurities and were surprised when their friends and family members began to stand in the audience and tell them how much they love and value them.

Students danced to the song “Unsteady,” showing how their peers can conquer their anxiety through dancing and other various outlets.

“I feel like I made an impact on the people I danced with by getting us all inspired to display a message in our dance,” sophomore Ashley Edsall said.

Students were encouraged to conquer their anxieties “one step at a time” and to reach out for help when they need it. The assembly was intended to normalize anxiety and jump-start the conversation about mental health.

This year’s topic, anxiety, resonated with many students.

“This year we chose anxiety because the majority of our PEER seniors are stressed about colleges and AP exams,” said Daniel Zimmerman, senior PEER member. “We just thought the rest of the school has a lot of anxieties as well.”

Rebecca Greiner telling her mother Kristie Greiner how she is helpful to her. [Photo credit: Kawther Said]

Warren Danzenbaker, the lacrosse coach at FHS, talking about James Ruff as Jack Posey & Kristie Greiner watch.

Students performing in a sketch about how stressors affect students. [Photo credit: Kawther Said]

Carolani Bartell and other theatre students performed a skit about anxiety and self worth.

Lizzy Morales stands on stage for a social experiment about insecurities and anxieties.

Senior Austin Trinity dances to “Unsteady” with her fellow students.

Chloe Sheperd dances to “Unsteady.”