What’s in it for Student Senate?
SENATE SETUP: Senior senate member Hannah Brackenbury along with senior Paige Beland make a homecoming poster to go along with the other decorations spread out between the pods. This is a yearly tradition where the different graduating classes decorate a designated pair of pods with hopes to gain bragging rights over the other classes and Student Senate as a whole.
October 28, 2019
You walk into school and you see decorations strewn about the different pods. Many different colors and patterns, but all following one specific theme. These decorations may seem out of the ordinary, but then you look around and you realize something. It’s homecoming week.
Then there’s events like “Senior Sunrise” and assemblies to bring awareness. But how did all of these changes around the school get there? Where did they come from? There’s only one logical answer: Student Senate.
“I think what a lot of students don’t realize is just how much Senate does, like aside from dances,” Senate President Juliette Beals said.
The hot summer months may be relaxing for some but at that time, the Student Senate crew is knee deep in the planning process on a working retreat figuring out committees and how homecoming week will flow.
“It’s all about school spirit,” Senate Vice President Maddy Streng said. “We want to bring unity and a sense of pride.”
School spirit is important, as well as the motivation that these senators must have to get the job done in the ruthless processes involved in the happenings of homecoming
The homecoming committees plan clothing themes for the week, dance activities, as well as the pep assembly.
Although many have their own opinions on said themes, the decision made takes a lot of debating and long meetings at that summer work session.
“All of the planning is done beforehand,” Beals said. “But the execution of the actual event can be stressful too.”
While other themes such as movie genres were thrown out, the Senate came to the decision of selecting board games as the theme of the annual event.
“It takes a lot of hard work,” Streng said. “But it also takes some creativity. Just coming up with the themes, you have to think of what the school would like and appreciate. We don’t want just one group of kids to get involved.”
With that in mind, the whole homecoming experience is exciting and rewarding for all involved, even chaperones.
“We have gifts for chaperones of the dance,” student senate advisor Tom Puleo said. “We also have to pay for police officers to be at the dance.”
With everyone involved excited for the events, the process flows quickly and easily.
“It’s a lot of fun for Student Senate, but it’s also a lot of fun for everything to come together,” Streng said. “Everybody’s just pumped up to get things rolling.”
Outside of homecoming, senate is responsible also responsible for events around the holidays.
“We do an event called Adopt-A-Family where we buy Christmas gifts for families in need and spend a day going around and delivering them,” Beals said. “Stuff like that tends to go unnoticed by general students because it isn’t directly connected to them.”
That’s the name of the game. Senate does what many don’t see. It may be hard to believe, but Senate leaves an impact not only on the school but on the community as a whole in a positive light.
For Beals, Streng and the entire Student Senate, leaving a lasting impression on the student body and making sure their own homecoming experiences are memorable is something that is on their minds often.
“It’s bittersweet because homecoming for me is really fun,” Beals said. “But this is my last one and then I’m going to college and I’m not going to have the same experiences there so just enjoy it while it lasts.”
