As Warsaw Community High School student council adviser Jim LeMasters arrives to his classroom Jan. 14 a little before 7 a.m., council members are sitting outside his door, waiting for the meeting to begin.

They filter in, some a little late due to a train on the tracks. Already, some of the students are discussing council issues among themselves, or the school day ahead.

Some students are raring to go, eager to begin the meeting and the day. Others are still trying to wake up, shaking off the want of sleep.

Roll call begins at 7:05 a.m.

Minutes are read, no changes are made. The treasurer's report is given. Student body president Erika Wilson then asks for reports from the standing committees - Climate Control, Faculty Relations, Service, Student Recognition and Entertainment.

Class reports follow. The freshmen report on a dance they just held - it was a success - and then the canned food drive, which will tak place in February. Sophomores discuss the upcoming BLITZ while juniors have a question about masks for prom. Seniors report the election for next year's officers will be conducted before spring break.

New business is announced and then the meeting is adjourned and students are off to their first classes of the day.

Such is a typical meeting of a high school's student council.

LeMasters, who has been the council adviser for more than 20 years, said the main purpose of the student council is to be a liaison board between the students, faculty and administration. The Climate Control committee meets bi-weekly with the administration. At those meetings, the committee members meet with principal Jennifer Brumfield. They talk about school issues the students think are important, or concerns the administration has.

LeMasters said it's just a good way for both sides to know what's going on in the school and what needs to be changed. The students on the committee have a pulse of the school and can help the administrators out, while the administrators can address students' concerns.

"It's a legitimate voice of the students," LeMasters said.

As years pass, LeMasters said the council also changes and adapts. In the last five years, the council has focused more on community service projects. The council doesn't always publicize its community efforts, however, because it's not about getting credit for the work, LeMasters said.

Senior Kelsie Thompson is the student body vice president and service committee chair. She said the service committee tries to do different service projects inside and outside of school.

On Sept. 11, the committee made cookies and delivered them to local servicemen. For Christmas, the students visited Grace Village retirement center, gave the residents Christmas cards and just talked with them. In the fall, the committee held the Rake & Run where students raked leaves for area residents who were unable to rake their own leaves.

"We just do all sorts of different things," said Thompson. "We try to stay constantly involved with the community. I think (the committee) is incredibly important. It's a link between the student council and the community."

The unfortunate thing, LeMasters said, is that students don't always use the council to their advantage or don't get involved. Students at the high school level are more in charge of events and do have the administration listening to them. But if students don't speak up, no one is going to hear them.

Junior class president Hilary Robinson decided to join student council as a way to get involved. But other students, not in student council, don't always feel the same way.

"It seems like the student body as a whole doesn't" think we represent them well, she said, "but we feel we do."

Students often don't approach the council about their concerns, she said, but talk about them away from council members. If council members ask students directly what they think about an issue, then, Robinson said, the students will more likely open up.

What kind of students are members of student council?

"The majority of kids are your upper-level kids who want to make a difference but want to go through the proper channels," said LeMasters. A few of the members are like "protesters left over from the '60s." LeMasters is unsure why some of the the kids join. They don't always say a whole lot, but they always are present and work hard, he said.

Wilson is an example of a student who wants to make a difference.

She said she got involved in student council three years ago for several reasons. First, the activities appealed to her. She wanted to know what they do, how they do it and why they do it. She also wanted to get involved with the school.

Every year Wilson stayed on, she said she realized she could talk more with the students and could grow as a leader and help others out.

This year, Wilson admits that as student body president, she's felt more pressure, but she's taking it in stride.

"It's tough," she said, "but the student council supports me."

More than 40 students are involved in the WCHS student council.

"We've got some pretty good kids," said LeMasters. Each year it's a different mix, he said, but "that's what makes it good. I still enjoy doing it."

Wanting to be involved is the most common reason students give about why they joined student council, regardless of the school.

Wawasee High School Student Body President and senior Libby Brown said that's why she is on student council - to be involved. She said she saw things that she thought should be changed and the best way to help get that done was to be on student council.

Junior Braedon Gerard, student council member, said she enjoys being able to help decide on events for the school.

And when it comes to events, homecoming is Wawasee student council's biggest event to plan. It's also the first thing the council has to begin planning as it's near the beginning of the school year. The homecoming, according to Brown, includes floats, class competitions, the talent show and many other activities.

Later in the year, the student council plans dances and the biggest dance of the year - prom.

But with so many events to plan, how does the council know all their work has paid off?

"I think you know by your school participation," said Brown.

To also make an event successful, the council needs to plan activities that students really want to attend. Asked if the Wawasee Student Council was representative of the student body at large, Brown said, "I think there's always a lot of room to improve in that area."

Council co-adviser Janie Oswald said the council does what it can to reach out to everyone, but many students still think the council includes only "jocks," "preps" and "richies."

In the long run, the students do what they can during their tenures on the council. And if not all the students are satisfied with the work the student council puts in, the student council members still earn the rewards from their hard work.

"I think it boosts our organizational skills," said junior Brent Danner, student council member. "There's a lot of things that go into these events."

Brown said members learn leadership skills and to be more responsible.

"I think it gets you ready for fulfilling other responsibilities," she said.

Oswald said council students see how it takes lots of work to make events happen. Students can think of many activities they may want, but if they don't work on them, they won't happen.

Besides reaching out to students, the student council also is a voice to the administration. At Wawasee, the student council principal's advisory committee meets with principal Alan Frank once a month.

"That's where things get brought up," said Brown. And that's where the council can make change happen. She said Frank may not always agree, but he listens. "I'd say we have an OK voice."

Regardless of how things go throughout the year, council members say there's a lot of reason to be on the council.

"I think people should get involved because everyone can make a certain difference," said Brown.

"I like being able to help make decisions for the school - having a say in it," said Gerard.

Danner said there's a lot of tradition at Wawasee. The cool thing about being on the student council is not only preserving those traditions, but making new ones along the way.

While student council elections may be a popularity contest at some schools, that isn't the case at Triton High School.

THS doesn't have council elections. Anyone who wants to serve on the council can - they just have to say they want to be on the council at the beginning of the school year, sign a form and then serve on committees.

Adviser Carrie Orlowski said the THS student council has about 40 members in grades 9-12.

Triton's council has three major events to plan. They put together a ceremony for Veterans Day; help coordinate Senior Swap Day where students trade places with a teacher for a day; and plan Trojan Wars toward the end of the school year when each class in grades 7-12 compete against one another. Orlowski said many council members are on the council specifically to help plan the Trojan Wars.

"That's the popular one," she said.

THS student council as a whole meets at most every couple of months. Sub-committees meet more often.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's really laid back," she said.

Unlike other high schools, the student council doesn't plan homecoming or prom.

Senior and council secretary Holly Heckaman said she got involved with the council because, "I've been on it for a couple of years now. I like the interaction with students and the planning of things."

As to why the council is more laid back, she said, "I don't think we're as motivated as we used to be." The school as a whole doesn't appreciate the council as much anymore, she said, so it's hard to get motivated to do anything.

As council president, senior Braxton Barton said, "It seems like more people are active in (the council) than the last two years. It seems more are interested in it. Our senior class has been very active in sports and clubs since we were freshman. Everyone who is on it this year as seniors have been on it since we were freshmen."

"We could be more involved in other things," including more community activities, he said.

The Veterans Day program is their biggest community event, he said. "I think that's the most important thing we do. We have more people on that committee."

The student council, regardless of how laid back it may be, is important Barton said because, "it gives (students) a say in things we do in our school."

Like the other area high schools, Tippecanoe Valley student council believes in community service.

Adviser Jeff Shriver said the purpose of the council is first, community service, and second, to represent the student body.

Senior Rebekah Parker, representative, said the council's purpose is "to get the input of our classmates and what they want to get done. We can be their voice."

To be that voice, senior and student body president Valerie Drudge said sometimes they will conduct a student survey on what students want the council to accomplish. That survey will be presented to the principal. Other times, council treasurer and senior Jenna McFadden said they will just ask their classmates in class what they think.

Mostly, the council finds out what the student body wants informally, Shriver said. "I think it depends on what the issue is."

With assistant principal Rod McKee helping to advise the council, the council can have a more direct and quicker response from the administration.

And the administration knows that "school is more than reading, writing and arithmetic," McKee said.

What do TVHS students want?

"A lot of the stuff is just the usual stuff," said senior Britton Burkhart, representative. "People just expect it."

The usual stuff, Drudge said, includes events like homecoming, shopping for needy kids at Christmas time, or trick or treating at Halloween for canned goods to donate to Helping Hands.

Drudge said this past Christmas, they were able to provide Christmas for 20 children. Shriver said school principals identified kids at their schools who were in need. The council, said McFadden, raised money for the kids to buy presents for their families and themselves. They then spent time with the kids and ate pizza before their parents picked them up.

"We're probably more community oriented than school oriented," Shriver said of the council.

But whether it's a community event or the Jell-O wrestling during homecoming, each member of the student council has similar reasons for being on the council.

Burkhart said he wanted to help organize the activities and help bring fun to the school. Drudge said she was appointed to the council her freshman year and she felt it's been worthwhile since. She's had fun with it and the students really appreciate what the council does. Parker said she wanted to be a part of the organizing of activities, which gave her something to look forward to during the school year.

At Whitko, the purpose of student council, according to president Matt Metzger, is to keep students involved and to provide activities the whole student body can participate in. While many clubs have their own activities that club members participate in, student council brings members of all those clubs together in one event, such as homecoming.

The student council doesn't have as many responsibilities as councils at other schools may have, Metzger said. Other activities - such as prom - are handled by other clubs and groups.

"We have so many clubs that are active anyway, there's no use to fight it," he said. The Whitko student council isn't as proactive as other school councils, he said. They are more reactive. If students want an activity, then the student council may go about setting it up.

"It's always about keeping it simple," said Lauren St. Clair, junior member.

But like other high schools, knowing what appeals to every student in the school isn't easy.

"I think it really is hard for a committee of volunteers to represent the body they serve," said Metzger. Though he said he didn't want to make generalizations, every clique isn't represented on the council, but the ones not represented are the students not likely to participate in the council's activities anyway.

But that doesn't mean the council doesn't try to get a variety of opinions from students.

St. Clair said, "Asking is about the easiest way" to get students' thoughts, whether that's in class or at some other club.

Metzger said they also look at tradition to figure out what students want. At homecoming this year, they didn't have the bonfire because it failed the previous two years. If no one shows up to an activity, why have it?

"Homecoming is our biggest thing," said Metzger. As many members from the local community come to that as from the school. Their other big activity is their blood drives.

"We wouldn't be able to do it without the community," said St. Clair. "The blood drive, everyone's welcome to (help)."

Asked why they wanted to be involved in student council, once again the responses are no different than those from other schools.

Junior member Nate Alspaugh said, "I just like being involved with everyone."

"It's also about getting to work with other students you wouldn't get to know (otherwise)," said Metzger.

As Metzger is involved in many activities at Whitko, when he graduates, he said, "You always hope you leave something behind."

For him, that includes a hope that people will care, people will take an interest in Whitko High School and people will see that student council really does matter.

There is so much apathy around, he said, but it won't get any better if no one steps up to make it better.

And that may be what student council is about, regardless of the school.

Stepping up. Making a difference. Getting involved. Being a part of a community. [[In-content Ad]]