1. Choose a leadership quote and in a short paragraph explain how it applies to your “style” of leadership and why.

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”- Albert Einstein

I have always liked this quote because I think it emphasizes something really important and that is that everyone has different strengths. This relates to my leadership style especially in student council because I find that groups work best together when everyone is tapping into their strength. I am not saying that people shouldn’t experiment in new areas or go outside of their comfort zones, but I am saying if someone is a good speaker, artist, or organizer, it is important to capitalize on those strengths and share them with the larger group.

Think of it like a potluck. If everyone spent their time and effort on perfecting their absolute best dish and brought it to a potluck, it would be a really good potluck.

2. As a student council member, what important goals would you have for Student Council? For Archer?

A goal I have for next year is to delegate roles in student council more explicitly. This year the budget was not handled in this best way and I believe this problem could be avoided next year if everyone has a really clear responsibility.

For example one person’s responsibility might include creating a finance plan at the beginning of the school year and keeping a running log of all student council expenses. Though everyone would have a clear job that they are responsible for, every decision would still be highly collaborative and involve the whole ASB and if necessary the whole student council.

3. What are your plans for increasing school spirit and student participation at Archer?

This is a tricky question and one that student council has struggled with since I can remember. I think it’s difficult to say to people “come to this event and have spirit” because  asking people to go to events and have spirit generally results in the opposite effect, however without asking people, no one is aware of those events.

So what do we do? I think instead of promoting the events and pleading for student participation, we alter the environment of the school. By that I mean change the climate of Archer so that people feel a more natural inclination towards spirit just by being in a positive space.

4. What role(s) do you think Student Council should play at archer? Is Student Council currently fulfilling that role? If not, what changes do you propose to make it happen?

I think the role of student council has been and will continue to be “the school event planners” until leadership is implemented into the curriculum as a course or an elective. We have definitely attempted to shift the focus of student council from event planning to gaining leadership education by implementing programs such as the LECs (Leadership Enrichment Conferences).

However due to the time frame student council is crunched into, it is difficult to make true reform in that area. This is why if elected as an ASB member one of my goals would be to draft a proposal to have student council meet as a class. This extra time in the rotation would allow the council to take on bigger projects and learn the skills a leader needs to carry out these tasks.

5. Why do you want to be on Student Council, really?

I want to be on student council because I care about the students at Archer and I want to make the student experience as pleasant as possible. I am not afraid to speak when I think a change needs to be made and I want to be a voice for the student body if they feel like something should be altered.