By Patrice Moriarty
As many of you know, Frontier Regional has a Student Council. They’re the ones you share your grievances with about the spirit week themes and the homecoming date, even though we, unfortunately, do not pick it. However, this organization has the ability to do more beyond the fall pep rally.
As the outgoing Student Council President, I have become familiar with the inner workings of Student Council. Having joined during COVID, I was greeted by one of my favorite parts of Student Council, a welcoming environment. Even though we were unable to develop many events or communicate with all the students, Student Council meetings provided an opportunity for students across many extracurricular interests to come together to form events and influence policies that would benefit the entire school. I was able to meet with students across many extracurricular activities that I wouldn’t have interacted with otherwise.
In my sophomore year, I began to take on another role in the student council, the advocate. Once a month I would virtually meet with our school committee to explain student issues and accomplishments. Through this role, I discovered how our community extends beyond our school building and the resources we have as students to create positive change. At school committee meetings I learned which changes would be occurring in our school and how our budget is approved. That year, I conducted research and held conversations with students pertaining to our mask policy. As a Student Council advocate, I presented the results at a school committee meeting and was able to end our mask policy based on the needs of students.
In my junior year, I used my role as treasurer to help fund events that uplifted our community. I supported our president through his initiative to create a winter formal that focused on including and uplifting members of our community who may not feel comfortable in other school dances. He continued this initiative by extending the number of gender-neutral bathrooms in our school. Under the leadership of this president I helped heal a community which was fractured by COVID.
Finally, as Student Council President this year I continued the former president’s mission for healing our community and uplifting each other. Within Student Council meetings, I listened to issues that were being presented within the community. I also focused on fun. We brought back the student vs. teacher basketball game this year and saw members of our community come together to have an amazing time. This year I have connected with student councils in other schools and have begun to form connections with other Student Councils in our area, which I hope will continue to grow next year.
We are incredibly fortunate to go to a school which values student’s voices and student council is the way to ensure your voice is heard. Frontier Regional has a vibrant community filled with gifted students and if we band together we will be able to achieve more. Overall, students are supportive of each other but the more connected we are, the better we can support each other. Student Council can also connect students with a larger community. WMASC is a regional organization connecting students across Western Massachusetts. At the Spring Conference, I met students from 7 different schools and learned how their student council worked which helped me understand how I could improve Frontier’s. I also met students with similar interests who I can connect with to uplift our larger community. There is also a statewide organization called MASC which hosts a conference in Cape Cod every year. This conference provides students with the opportunity to connect with like minded leaders to develop skills to bring back to their communities.
Finally, on the national level, the National Student Council lists four pillars to their program: leadership, service, voice, and engagement. These pillars combine to prompt civic engagement before young adults can vote. Many young people get stuck under the limitation of not yet being able to vote but there are many different ways to connect and uplift their community. Student Council is the gateway to change and a celebration of success.
No matter who you are or what you value, you have a voice which is necessary to create a community that can best support everyone. When asked how student council was important to her, Julia Walkowicz explained that it “helped (her) advocate for the needs of the student body in school” and also recognize the needs of students in other schools. These advocacy skills and acknowledgment of her larger community will help her become a more active member of her community. Whether you join Student Council or reach out to them when you’re in need, look into what they’re working on and add your thoughts so that Frontier can continue to uplift its students.