Each year students are faced with a handful of tough decisions, one of which is what activities they plan to participate in throughout the school year. Some activities require applications prior to their official start. One example of this is Principal’s council.  

Principal’s council is a diverse group of 24 students who applied to be a part of the council in order to help promote positive change for the student body. After applications were reviewed and new members were alerted of their acceptance, the group met for a kickoff meeting on Aug. 2.

“I think that [Principal’s council] is working out great. During our recent meetings, we have really addressed some really important topics and we are working hard to fix them,” sophomore Abigail Koontz said. “The council is only able to fix things that we know about, so if students see any problems or have personally experienced any, make sure to let a member of Principal’s council know.”

The council consists of six representatives from each grade. Although this is only the second year of the organization, the group has big ambitions for this school year. The council meets on one Wednesday every month to discuss needed improvements for a better NHS. 

“In Principal’s council we talk about the different ways we can improve our school. If we see problems, like bullying or anything else, we’ll talk about it here and figure out ways to fix them,” Koontz said. “We, as a council, don’t really prepare for the things around us. Instead, we think of ideas and send them out to other clubs in hopes that they can do something.”

The council’s main goal is to help make NHS a safer place where student’s voices are easily able to be heard. They also help with making sure students are involved in school events like pep rallies, athletic activities and performing arts showcases.   

“We just have a really fun time discussing and talking every time we meet. It’s fun to get involved in something like [Principal’s council],” junior Alicia Gaeddert said. “We write letters to a staff member at the end of every meeting telling them we appreciate what they do or just making a positive note to them. Principal’s council affects the school by making the school environment a more positive, healthy, spirited, and comfortable environment for the students.”

Members welcome outside thoughts and ideas that they can bring up in discussion for their next meeting to help better the school environment. Making sure that opinions of students are heard by administration is a priority for the group as the administrative team ultimately has the power to make important changes throughout the school. 

“I think NHS should continue Principal’s council [for years to come]. It is a great way to get students’ opinions and thoughts about the school,” senior Kayla Wong said. “It’s a way to help improve the school based off of student ideas.”