By Shane Killinger
Guest Opinion
More often than not, the responsibilities associated with one’s civic duties begin in the middle or high schools. The upper grades often offer students the opportunities to represent the greater school population with a student council and/or class officers.
However, one elementary school in this vast and beautiful county feels the importance of developing civic responsibility early on.
Sprunica Elementary is one such place that begins the lifelong journey of learning and leadership.
For the past two years, the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders of Sprunica have been encouraged to participate in their own Student Council. Teachers were encouraged to help their students learn about the processes involved with electing class representatives who would then attend monthly meetings.
Representatives are expected to uphold a Code of Ethics which stresses such things as being good role models, completing their work to the best of their ability, and helping others whenever possible. Elected representatives knew that their job was to represent their class’s needs and not a popularity contest.
A president, vice president and secretary are chosen by the council, and assume the responsibilities of the council. This year’s president is Sloan Eddins, the VP is George Webb and the secretary is Ellie Law.
Sloan Eddins believes, “Student Council is a great opportunity for kids to learn responsibility and leadership. Plus, it helps us to prepare for middle school and high school.”
“Student Council members believe that they must be role models for the entire student body,” adds Ellie Law.
George Webb admits that, “Being a student council member helps him to feel good about being a leader and helping others whenever he can!”
Obviously, these three students take their jobs very seriously and have proven themselves to be very focused and driven to make this school year one of the best — they are the best of the best!
One major responsibility of the council is to unite and engage both students and teachers in various activities. Some of the past activities included sponsored Spirit Days.
To participate in the spirit day students had to pay 25 cents which was compiled all year and donated to the Brown County Humane Society.
The council collected non-perishable goods for Mother’s Cupboard; the council donated $200 to Mother’s Cupboard to purchase turkeys for Thanksgiving; the council helped to fund Purple Martin bird gourds on the school’s premises.
These are just a few of the community-conscious roles our students are learning to develop.
The student council also promotes fun activities so that students and teachers can enjoy themselves during the school year.
Some such activities include Holiday Door Decorating Contests, Candy Cane Exchanges and a Special Spirit Week to encourage and support our students during standardized testing time.
Lastly, the Student Council is there to help. The representatives became Student Ambassadors during our annual Grandparents Day Celebration. They have also assisted our Pre-K and kindergarten students with shopping at both our book fair and our Santa Shop.
Many of the pictures shared on our Sprunica social media platform can be attributed to the hard work of our representatives. Their contributions to the school are priceless.
The Sprunica Student Council is a unique opportunity for our young people to learn organizational, leadership, and teamwork skills. It prepares them for the future in their schools, community, and beyond.
The Student Council is an integral part of the Sprunica Elementary Community and is sponsored by Mrs. Kurdziel who gives her time and effort to this outstanding group of students.
Shane Killinger is the principal at Sprunica Elementary School. Send any comments to [email protected].
