Students leaders aim to revive school spirit

June 9, 2016

North Hastings High School student council Deputy Prime Minister Shannon Norris, left, and Prime Minster Lexus Scott, right, at one of the NHHS trophy cases.

By Tony Pearson

Lexus Scott and Shannon Norris were elected North Hastings High School student body prime minister and deputy prime minister last week. Now they’re making plans to involve more students in the activities of student council, as well as increase “Husky Pride.”

Lexus and Shannon believe that the key to increasing school spirit is to get more students involved in school activities, notably in the activities of their “House” (all NHHS students are assigned to one of four “houses” – Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water). They want to promote more participation in house challenges at assemblies, and on Spirit Days, like House Colours Day.

The pair believes that students who participate can feel themselves making a difference within the school. If they feel more a part of their school, they will develop more self-esteem. The end result, in their opinion, will be more self-confident students, and a better school atmosphere.

To help with the goal of making students feel more involved, Lexus intends to follow through on her campaign promise to conduct surveys to learn more about what students are looking for from their student council. “Our council is open to anyone who wished to join,” she states. “We need to ensure that it reflects the makeup of the school.”

“Too many people think it’s just for academic students,” notes Shannon. “So we’re planning to bring student council into the halls. We want to encourage students to stop a council member and let them know what their views are. We’re also going to make sure that the student body knows that all our meetings are open to anyone, and that anyone who’s willing to come to our meetings can join the council themselves.”

Another of Lexus’s campaign promises ties in – increased communication. She plans to start a student council blog, and update the council website and Twitter account, in order to break down perceptions that student council is an elitist clique. However, Lexus and Shannon want more student input before they start a Facebook account, given the need for constant monitoring to prevent the page from being inundated by negative postings.

In addition, Shannon wants to borrow an idea raised by her election opponent, Dana Carrol, for a further communication mechanism to obtain student input – suggestion boxes at various locations around the school, regularly monitored and responded to.

In aid of creating a new student space, Lexus hopes to increase access to, and use of, the school’s courtyard. “It can become a real gathering place,” she says, “if we can make it more inviting.” Lexus and Shannon also intend to take a further look at the number and timing of Spirit Days, and to improve their planning process.

All in all, say the two student leaders, “We’re really excited about the coming school year. We hope to see a lighter atmosphere, so that students can really enjoy being in this school. The ultimate objective is to bring the student community closer together.”