Student Council prepares for the year by sticking to the important StuCo principles, with staff members JoAnne Moreno, Erin Thompson and Derek Steffes helping at the forefront.
New Student Council Advisors Erin Thompson and JoAnne Moreno (not pictured: Derek Steffes). photo by Becca Holt
The new advisors of Student Council have big plans for the 2009-2010 school year’s Student Council involving new leadership skills and a motivation to enhance school spirit.
Last year’s StuCo was supervised by Social Studies Teacher Linda Estlund, but with her stepping down from the position Principal Sandra Just was is dire need of a new advisor (or in this case, advisors). “When Ms. Just asked us to help out with Student Council, we thought as long as we are together it would work well,” said TJ Counselor Erin Thompson.
Although last year’s StuCo ran smoothly and effectively, there a few things the new team would like to shift. “Last year they did not have the camaraderie that we want to achieve this year. We want school spirit, more kids involved and working together and to create a welcoming environment at TJ,” Administrative Assistant JoAnne Moreno said.
A successful StuCo embraces certain responsibilities and duties. The new advisors are hoping to see original StuCo goals being fulfilled this year. “The Student Council is technically a student government, giving a voice to the student body as a whole and making important decisions all the while boosting school spirit and offering leadership,” said Thompson, who currently works in the counseling department at TJ and is not new to being a club advisor. She began her TJ career last year, and with the new freshman counseling position she filled came the chance to work with the Peace Panel. Although the club is similar to StuCo, their goals differ. “Student Council is about school leadership and building a TJ culture, Peace Panel is about promoting Peace within that culture,” Thompson said.
Former Spanish Teacher Moreno currently works as an Administrative Assistant carrying out tasks necessary for the whole school. She handles most of the standardized test distribution to the students, along with helping coordinate the master calendar. This is her first year involved in TJ’s StuCo but says they are on the right track. “The first couple of meetings had good attendance and were full of good ideas. Freshman election posters made during the first meeting have sparked an interest not only in the freshmen, but also in the other classes there is an excitement about being a part of Student Council.”
TJ Treasurer, Derek Steffes, manages the school’s finances. With him on board the team indicated that it will be easy to evaluate the fiscal needs of dances and other StuCo-organized events. “I wanted StuCo to become more visible and apparent in the school. In the last few years it has usually been a behind-the-scene sort of deal,” Steffes said.
The StuCo will also be lead by a new All School President, Senior Andrew Craig. “Andrew knows how to get things done and make things happen. He is conscientious and tries hard to get people to work together,” Moreno said.
TJ’s StuCo planned homecoming to be held on September 26. Admission into the dance is made possible by good behavior and daily classroom attendance. The advisors stressed that it is critical for upperclassman to set a good example for the whole school by staying clear from the traditional freshman hazing. In the end, the Administration has the final say in any student’s attendance to the dance. See the Journal’s upcoming homecoming article for more details.
