JEANNA DUERSCHERL The Roanoke Times

Phillip Rodgers sings "Bohemian Rhapsody" with the Salem Singers for students who were called back to audition for the group. Phillip, a junior at Salem High School, was elected president of the Student United Way.

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With the calendar of a much older person, Phillip Rodgers plans his months, weeks and days.

The 15-year-old Salem High School student has plenty to keep him busy. The rising junior will be in only advanced classes next year. He is a member of the Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio ensemble and he's on his school's forensics team. Next year will be his second as part of the Salem Singers, and he will be the junior class president.

And now Phillip is the president of the Student United Way, a program in its first year designed to get young people involved with the well-known help organization -- and with their communities.

"The purpose is to teach leadership skills, fundraising skills, a way to give back to the community," said Lucy Walton, one of the program's founders and a longtime United Way volunteer.

Four students from each public school in Roanoke, Roanoke County and Salem were chosen by their principals to act as representatives to the Student United Way. Each student was asked to commit to a three-year term as a representative of his or her school.

At the end of the first year, the 30 students -- all in 10th grade -- elected Rodgers to be their president for the upcoming academic year.

As the student group president, Rodgers will serve as a liaison to the Roanoke Valley's United Way, attending the flagship board's meetings with the established community leaders who serve on it.

He will report to the board what the students are planning. The Roanoke Valley's Student United Way, a program unique in its setup and implementation, meets the second Tuesday of each month, and Phillip will report to his fellow students about what happened at board meetings.

The first year, the students focused on getting to know one another, the United Way and the Roanoke Valley before deciding on a project to focus on for the next two years.

"We looked at several problems dealing with drugs and violence and obesity and education," Phillip said. "And in our last meeting we decided on education."

The students plan to design and implement a program that involves mentoring younger students. Phillip said he wants to help young people realize the importance of school and education.

As seniors in high school, the students, along with Walton and Jean Glontz, the program's other founder, plan to run a United Way campaign to raise the funds and eventually implement the mentoring program they will design together.

"I'm a teenager, but I can still do something," said Phillip, who hopes to attend the University of Virginia and then law school. "I can still make a change in this world."

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