Air Academy High School (AAHS) students should consider taking part in the student council next school year to develop new relationships within the school and gain leadership skills.

Next year the student council will be accepting new applicants into the council. They will be looking for current AAHS students as well as incoming freshmen to join. 

Joining any sort of school club or sport can help students make new friends, gain new skills, and learn how to work with other people. So why should students join the student council specifically?

Being on the student council offers the unique ability for members to advocate for AAHS students. This allows members to take on a leadership role over both school issues and events. Student council could be a good fit for opportunistic people who want to get involved in the school.

Students typically join the student council because “they might have aspirations of doing something later in life that you need to be a leader for” and student council teaches participants the “ability to lead other students,” student council supervizor Tony Powell noted.

Having those skills will always be useful in a professional setting. In turn, having “student council member” listed on college applications and job resumes will be advantageous for participants.

 Additionally, being on the student council connects students with the AAHS community more. The members spend a significant amount of time together during class time as well as working together during events.

The student council environment is “kind of like a big family,” student council supervisor Tony Powell stated. 

Not only do members bond with each other, they also create close relationships with their peers. Being on the council allows members to make changes within the school so they must keep an ear out for ways AAHS could be enhanced.

“I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself and just help the student body. I think the main reason I joined was to help address common issues that the students face to help improve the school experience for everyone,” junior class representative Angeline Gilman shared.

Since student council has so many benefits, why do people not often talk about it? Well some people may be reluctant to join because of the workload.

Student council members set many things up for the school and sometimes must contribute after school hours “…so it’s definitely a big commitment,” junior class vice president Dominik Goodman admitted.

Although student council may be a commitment, the aforementioned benefits pay off.

Even though they run some of students’ favorite events, some people may not know just how much the student council does for the school.

“Personally I’ve definitely made some big progress on events. I was the spearhead and figurehead for battle of the bands last year,” Goodman mentioned.

Battle of the bands provided a unique opportunity to students to show their musical talent  in front of their peers and their families. It proved to be a hit amongst students and the winning band got to perform in front of students at an assembly last school year.

If students would like to join the council “…what you have to do is submit an application to it and then the officers review it,” Gilman told.

After the officers review applications, applicants get a letter of acceptance or a polite denial.

Students should apply to join the student council to improve the school, gain leadership skills, and get involved in the AAHS community.