GREENFIELD — A quarter-century after receiving a Peacemaker Award for her efforts at Greenfield High School and in the community, Jamie Poremba still draws on those experiences in her career today.

Poremba, the assistant deputy superintendent of inmate programs at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, was among the eight honorees at the inaugural Peacemaker Awards in May 2000 for her work in helping form the high school’s chapter of the Gay-Straight Alliance, as well as her work on the Safe Schools Smart Schools Committee, the Community Coalition for Teens and for serving as a peer mediator.

Twenty-five years later, Poremba said the experience of working with people from “different walks of life” in high school — as well as her continued work at Greenfield Community College — helped lead her to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, where she has served as a correctional officer, a case worker and, now, as a supervisor. She joined the Sheriff’s Office in 2004 and has been there ever since.

“I totally use all of the things I learned along the way in my position. … Really, I got to put all that experience to the test,” Poremba said, adding that she helps oversee programs at the Sheriff’s Office, including the launch of some new ones aimed at younger inmates. “It’s giving back to the youth. It kind of brings it full circle.”

In May, students just like Poremba will be honored again, as the Peacemaker Awards prepares to mark its 25th anniversary.

The Peacemaker Awards were first held in 2000 following the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School and two instances of severe youth violence. The ceremony was created with the intention of highlighting the positive actions taken by students in the region. The Traprock Center for Peace & Justice and the Interfaith Council of Franklin County organize the event.

Nominations for this year’s awards, which will be held on May 13, are now open. Students from sixth to 12th grade in Franklin County schools are eligible to be nominated and nominations may come from anyone, whether they be teachers, principals, guidance counselors, faith leaders or the community at large.

To nominate a student for a 2025 Peacemaker Award, visit interfaithcfc.org/peacemaker-awards. The nomination deadline is April 15.

The Rev. Stanley Aksamit, of Our Lady of Peace Church in Turners Falls and an original organizer of the Peacemaker Awards, said the ceremony serves as an opportunity to show off the wonderful things teenagers are doing in Franklin County.

“Every year I’m just astounded by the creativity, the generosity and the optimism of the young people. … It’s that kind of booster shot of positive news that our country needs now more than ever,” Aksamit said. “I think that’s all part of this, affirming what youth are doing, but also challenging more to get involved.”

The awards, Aksamit said, cover actions big and small. Previous award recipients range from helping coordinate anti-bullying education in their own schools to raising money to help build a church in Ecuador.

Aksamit said each of those initiatives, as well as the dozens of others honored throughout the last quarter-century, can be inspiring for students’ peers, which can then lead to even greater movements.

“I think it helps to inspire them to walk in their footsteps. Oftentimes, I think that people within an age group can have a real powerful influence over their peers,” he said. “By becoming involved, by trying to make a difference, you’re creating these little ripples of hope that hopefully become contagious and have the potential to, over time, make a difference.”

As the event rolls into its 25th year, Aksamit said it’s nice to see something so positive last a long time, but he noted that typically means there is still a reason it has stuck around.

“When things last,” he said, “to me, it says the need continues to be there.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.