COOPERATION: ASB got a chance to see how other student body governments run their schools.
By Hannah Lerstad, Staff Writer
On 21 March 2013, Poly’s Associated Student Body (ASB) participated in an annual RUSD leadership exchange program. Poly’s ASB had the opportunity to share how it manages Poly and learn how other schools in the district handle their school activities.
The program is hosted at a different school every year. This year’s exchange was held at Martin Luther King High School. The program brought the student governments of Poly, Ramona, King, North and Arlington together.
The event focused on leadership skills, cooperation and management ideas. Leadership was particularly emphasized for the presidents of the five participating schools. Most of the exchange centered on how the schools handle larger events such as dances, clubs, assemblies and rallies.
The event kicked off with an introductory dance to break the ice and help students get to know one another. There was also entertainment; the students got to watch a hypnosis show. Students from each school were hypnotized. About 25 students fell under hypnosis in unison.
The schools all made individual PowerPoints that focused on a specific, interesting event they put on and how they put the event together. Poly’s chosen event was its dodgeball tournament. Kendall Morris, next year’s senior class president, represented Poly in its presentation.
To facilitate idea exchange, the members of the student bodies had breakout sessions: students from each school split into groups of two or three individuals and met with groups from other schools to share ideas. This gave the ASB members a chance to connect with other school members on a more personal level and learn about certain activities that the main assembly might not have touched on.
“I think that the leadership exchange will improve Poly because we were able to compare notes with other schools and learn from their mistakes and successes,” Madelynn Knust (11) said.
By reaching out to other schools, Poly hopes to improve its own campus.