If you walked into a room full of people dancing and screaming how would you feel? Probably overwhelmed. But for student council kids, it’s a welcoming sight.

In November, the Thunderbird Student Council headed up to Kelly Walsh High School in Casper to participate in the 63rd annual Wyoming Association of Student Council Convention (or WASC). This year’s theme, “Shine Your Light,” inspired students to make an impact on their schools and communities.

The East High officers were immediately immersed into the student council mind-set when the marching band welcomed them at the door, and singing and dancing followed soon after.

It was time to get down to business, and all 640 student leaders participated in platform voting. The platforms introduced included Suicide Awareness, Student Acceptance, and Inner-State Communications. Students were able to give opinions on each platform, then the entire delegation voted either for or against the platform.

The day continued on with multiple presentations from organizations around Wyoming seeking student support. Special Olympics, Students Against Destructive Decisions, and Wyoming Make-a-Wish all presented to students, asking for volunteers to raise awareness and support the causes presented. Along with the Make-a-Wish presentation, each school was commended for their efforts in raising money to grant wishes. This included the Thunderbirds, who raised $609 for a child’s wish.

“It really showed all of us how much student council impacts the state community,” said junior class representative Ginger McCormick. “The presentations also gave us knew ideas to incorporate into our school so we can give back even more.”

The first WASC day ended with small group workshops presented by student council kids themselves. From East, there were presentations on global warming, personality types, and how to prioritize your time, giving many students different ideas to take back to their schools.

“From last year’s workshops, we brought back a lot of ideas and events that we put into our Homecoming and other events,” said senior Hayden Higgins. “I expect us to do the same and even more within the next year.”

When their work was done, it was time for the council kids to party. Question: What is better than a normal pep rally organized by student council? Answer: A pep rally organized by all of the student councils in the state. The councils were split into regions and participated in dance offs, games, and cheers, hoping to lead their area to being the best in the state.

East High was awarded with the title of Honor Council for all of the activities they helped with throughout the area. Junior Amelia VanWinkle was awarded with Hidden Hero for all of the behind the scenes work she does at East, and Student Body President Hayden Higgins was inducted into All-State Student Council for his exemplary actions within the Thunderbird council.

“It was super sentimental,” said Higgins. “Student council is super important to me, so being able to get recognized for something that means so much to me was very special.”

To wrap up the convention, three new Wyoming Student Council officers were elected into office. McKenzie Wood from Natrona County was elected in as secretary, Dylan Smith from Kelly Walsh was sworn into the Vice President position, and Makayla Berkovitz from Rawlins is the new WASC President.

Overall, it was a fantastic convention and year for the East High student council kids, full of volunteering and team building activities. They look forward to even more bonding and helping out their community in the future.