Student Council Presidents Update D210 Board

How do you make four high school juniors nervous, anxious and a little bit excited all at the same time? Put them in a room with their principals, the district superintendent and other various staff members.

The four juniors weren't in trouble, they're the newest student council presidents at their respective schools and were invited by the District 210 Board of Education to speak at its Thursday, Aug. 25, meeting at .

The four students, Marissa Lee, of Lincoln Way Central, Sarah Price, of East, Jason DeGrado, of North, and Jennifer McGowan, of West, each took time to highlight the comings and goings of the past week for their entire student bodies.

Lee touted the achievements of the newest freshman class at Central, saying that after getting over their “deer in the headlights eyes,” the newest Knights found their footing. She added that the student council is handing out wristbands to students that say, “Once a Knight, Always a Knight,” which she said are a hit among students and were building school spirit.

Lee also mentioned her salesmanship when questioned by the board about how many elevator passes she sold to freshman.

“I believe the count was 25, so I did all right,” she said, drawing laughter from the board members.

Price, from East, told the board about treat bags the student council made for all the members of the Griffins' staff. The bags had blue, black and white M&Ms in them and tags that said “Welcome Back.” She also mentioned that the homecoming theme for this year at East will be Masquerade.

“We just actually voted yesterday for spirit week and the names, and everything like that,” Price said. “So it's all on schedule, decorations are already ordered and I think it's going to be a really nice event.”

DeGrado, the North president, told the board about the council's involvement with Tinley Park's Night Out Against Crime and how the students connected with future Phoenix students. He also said the group decorated the main hallway at North for the first day of school and that there are plans in the works to reorganize the council to streamline meetings

Finally, McGowan took the floor to wrap up the student's interaction with the board. She told the board that the school held a pep assembly and that she thought everyone was “pumped” for the new year.

McGowan also told the board about how the student council holds morning and afternoon sessions to accommodate various student schedules.

More From the Meeting

• Summer School: The board heard first about the 2011 summer school sessions and plans for 2012. In 2011, there was a 12.5 percent increase in enrollment, with nearly half of the incoming freshman class attending summer sessions. In 2012, there will be only two summer sessions instead of the usual three. Dates for next year are June 13-29 and July 5-23.
• Student Advisory: The board approved the appointment of Chrissy Alvarado, Kayley Smetana, Marquis Robertson and Emily Leddin to the District 210 Advisory Committee. All four are juniors, at Central, East, North and West, respectively.