From running pep rallies to decorating for dances, the Lakewood High School Student Council is a strong group of leaders ready to represent their school and its needs. The council balances planning, funding, and teamwork to create the best environment for the Rangers’ school spirit.
The student council consists of elected students from every grade who work together to plan, fund, and decorate for school events/campaigns. “It’s a way for you to have a say in what you want your school environment to feel like, and you can help shape the school’s culture,” says Student Council President Paisley Norris.
Traditional events and responsibilities include school dances and pep rallies. Homecoming is one of the biggest events of the school and requires a ton of work to put it all together, from the dance itself to the biggest pep rally of the year, the spirit parade, and announcing the homecoming court. But it’s not just school dances that the student council is involved in; they also get the school involved in the community.
“Recently, we’ve had our coat drive…So it’s stuff like that…we plan to really help the community and get more involved as a student government in our community,” says Student Council member Ruby Fraunfelder.
Extensive planning requires weekly meetings, typically held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the mornings before school. These meetings tend to intensify leading up to major school events, like the homecoming dance.
During the meetings, “Paisley, who’s the student council president, will go over an agenda for the day, or of what’s coming up…and delegate tasks to each…group or grade,” Fraunfelder says. Groups then spend time creating lists of decorations needed, making signs, and prepping for upcoming events.
While school representation is the council’s main mission, they also heavily focus on fundraising and budgeting for the senior class and prom. The Student Council team, as a whole, usually has a budget of close to $10,000, and each class also has a specific budget.
“So for the senior class, you start your freshman year and do fundraisers multiple times a year to benefit your prom,” Fraunfelder says. To add on, “Homecoming ticket sales really influence what we’re able to do for the rest of the year. Like, if we don’t spend as much money on decorations for homecoming, we make more of a profit, and we can distribute club grants and buy a DJ for prom,” Norris says.
Student Council is all about communication and teamwork. From council leaders trying to see what their peers want in a school to working with one another in planning to working with other administrators, there is a lot of communication involved. “We are very much in communication with Mrs Mestek in the book room, as well as Ms Morgan,” Fraunfelder says.
Student Council members also work closely with their leader, Jessica Murphy. While the students come up with the ideas, Ms Murphy does the behind-the-scenes work of really making these events and ideas come to life.
“For example, for each event we coordinate, I must submit an event plan to the appropriate staff around the district, so that they can help aid us in the setup and teardown of events. I also ensure the proper administrators are contacted for approvals for certain events and school-wide initiatives. Additionally, I coordinate with our financial manager, Mrs. Mestek, to order the supplies we need for each event and budget our funds,” Murphy says.
The Student Council is a home for growth, for both the students in it and the school. Letting students learn and practice skills such as leadership, communication, and collaboration. “I’ve definitely had to step up and hone in my leadership skills and improve my delegation…So as President, I really try and make sure everybody knows exactly what to do,” Norris says.
Within the team, students meet other students in different grades, which allows them to branch out and make friends and connections with people they might not have been able to meet anywhere else.
Not only that, “I think we can get people excited to come to school, like for Spirit weeks [especially]. I really try to listen to people in my classes before I go into meetings, to see what they want to do, and how to make the pep rallies more interesting, because those are the days that people skip the most,” Norris says.
“One of the student council’s most important jobs is to create and foster a sense of school spirit within the Lakewood community. We, as a student council, want students within the school and community to feel like they belong, that they have a place and a voice in our school, and are proud to be a Lakewood Ranger. The student council works very hard to try and support all students and make their time as a Ranger as fun and memorable as possible,” Murphy says. Because of these efforts, the Student Council can make Lakewood High School not just a place to learn, but a place to belong.
