Some of the most memorable experiences growing up are in high school for many individuals. These unforgettable experiences like Homecoming and Prom are organized by the school’s Student
Council. Recently, Spartanburg High School’s Student Council attended a district rally at Laurens High School which served as a way for schools to implement new ideas to better their schools and
student experiences.

The event is hosted by the South Carolina Association of Student Councils (SCASC) and their mission is to train and develop leaders to take action within their communities, as well as building on the values of integrity, respect and service. Student Council adviser Chris White supports the decision to attend the event since it’s an opportunity to improve leadership skills by learning how to manage problems.

The rallies are planned according to the needs of the councils. Various motivational speakers, workshops and swap shops are provided to help the school’s leaders become more effective. First students start off by meeting people from the different schools and listening to a guest speaker who spoke about leadership. They then split up into smaller groups to tackle different subjects with different activities. After that, all students gather back in the main room, eat lunch and finish off with some activities.

Anna Beeson (11) attended the trip on Oct. 31, and was a part of the team building group that focused on making the school’s faculty pleased.

“Overall, I think it was very beneficial to our council because we were able to gain new ideas from other schools that we are going to put into action this year. We were also able to share our ideas and events with others,” Beeson said.

The collaboration between students from different schools throughout the upstate of South Carolina allowed for new ideas to be heard for dress up days and fundraisers that the Student Council could hold for the school. Lillian Delaney (11) has been in the school’s Student Council since her freshman year and continues to work with the group to introduce unique yearly activities to include in the school’s calendar.

“We hope to implement some of the things we learned into the second semester of this year and possibly the 2023-2024 schoolyear to improve the high school experience for students,” Delaney said.

The goal of the SCASC is to unify student leaders from across the state by building relationships through educating leaders with problem solving and life skills that are useful for future endeavors. They hope to help students grow and cooperate with one another to develop and make changes beneficial to each school’s needs.

Caroline Hutchins (11) found the Student Council rally trip to be very educational since it provided so many ideas that the school could do improve activity weeks related to encouraging school spirit.

“The ideas that we learned from other schools will help improve the events we do, like Homecoming and Think Pink Week. The lessons that we learned will help the Student Council lead the student body with a better understanding of how to be a leader and how to make the right decision when put into a situation,” Hutchins said.