Being a part of a specific community at school can help strengthen bonds with others that weren’t previously there. West Springfield High School’s leadership team is dedicated to strengthening these bonds amongst the whole school to remind others that the people they graduate alongside are more than just friendly faces.
“I want to bring people together, involving everybody as much as possible,” said Class of ’27 officer Lizzie Grubbs.
Working hard with planning, drafting, and pursuing ideas, leadership has an end goal; to remind students their last few years before adulthood aren’t about being fearful, but having fun while still in high school.
“In a time of stress, it’s very important to have fun events to celebrate our success,” said Class of ’27 president Jackson Deekens.
Events such as homecoming are a big deal in the leadership program, being the hot topic during the start of the school year as well as the first major event for all grades to come together and enjoy as a community.
“I want to get people excited for [homecoming] with spirit events and marketing, making the build up just as fun as the event,” said Deekens.
Throughout the school year, leadership will branch off into groups specializing in different events such as homecoming, powerpuff, marketing, and more. There’s roughly 8-10 people per committee, using their connections with one another to decide on how to run events, as well as what can best support the ideas.
“Bouncing off of each other when in our committees allows our ideas to grow and form much stronger, it’s very helpful building each other up for the important things,” said senior and SGA officer Rebecca Prunty.
Committees also provide learning opportunities and growth between lowerclassmen and upperclassmen, using their prior knowledge to lift them up.
“I always appreciate seeing what I can learn from seniors, as well as having been taught in the past few years,” said Deekens.
Seniors have an important role in every corner of WSHS, constantly setting an example for their peers, maintaining gratitude alongside respect.
“I try to bring positivity and be squared away, having everything ready beforehand, with the mindset that it will all work out despite making mistakes here and there,” said senior and SGA president Kennedy Leary.
Acknowledging the influence from past experiences and results, leadership works hard to ensure the satisfaction of their peers.
“Seeing people getting [excited] for events we’ve planned after the work we’ve put in, whether it’s marketing or signs, always makes it worth it,” said Grubbs.
There’s always a rewarding feeling when hard work is admired, but more importantly, the feeling of accomplishment and belonging in the workplace is essential to thriving year long.
“Gaining new friends and closer relationships in leadership gave me more of an open mind,” said Leary.
Overall, the leadership community aims to continue opening their minds up, learning from one another, reaching further for WSHS, all while having fun along the way.
