craigdailypress.com

Craig — Moffat County High School junior Derek Maiolo is in constant motion.

Involved in numerous clubs and activities in and out of school, Maiolo not only participates, he advocates for change and leads by example.

Maiolo is a member of the school’s student council, speech and debate team, Key Club, Youth United Way and Center Stage Choir, and Rotary Junior Council. He also snowboards and enters writing contests. Oh, and he still finds time to maintain good grades.

Of all his extracurricular pursuits, Maiolo said student council is his favorite group, as well as the most rewarding.

“It’s just so different from other groups in school,” Maiolo said. “The people are so amazing to work with, so that always makes it fun. But it’s also the one activity where you can see the impact you have on your peers. There are no boundaries as long as you’re practicing leadership.”

Maiolo has taken those ideals and, along with other members, moved MCHS’s student council beyond a group whose sole purpose is to plan a great prom.

Maiolo started “A Day Without Hate” in Craig, a tolerance program for kids teaching kids to learn to accept one another. After realizing the message was too broad for kids to really understand, Maiolo said he hopes to re-focus the day and send a more relatable message for his peers.

“One of the things I’m involved with statewide is trying to get same-sex marriage equality,” Maiolo said. “That’s one of the issues I would like to bring to Craig’s attention, especially right now. In communities like this it can be really hard for kids to accept themselves. I think a lot of kids probably feel really alone.”

Darian Warden can be reached at 875-1793 or dwarden@craigdailypress.com