The new Stuco shirts arrived this week. As they filled the halls with neon yellow.

“The new shirts are so sweet,” said Stuco member Derek Rea.

The shirts are a way for Student Council members to stand out from other students. That won’t be a hard thing to see with the bright yellow shirts and royal blue lettering.

The next event on the way for Stuco and Cabinet is the “Ladies Pay All” dance, also known as “LPA.” The dance is scheduled for Friday, February 12th from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., with the boys basketball game taking place before the dance at 7 p.m.

To prepare for LPA and other events coming up, there will be a Stuco meeting Wednesday, January 27th during lunch.

“We will be talking to all the (Stuco) members about the dance and see if they have any suggestions, and we will have sign up sheets for work days to help with decorations for the dance,” said Student Council Vice President Michael Freeman.

Upcoming Dates:

January 27th:  Stuco meeting during lunch

February 4th:  LPA Court Elections

February 8th-12th:  Spirit Week

Monday 8th:  Inside out day

Tuesday 9th:  Ugly sweater day

Wednesday 10th:  Nerd day

Thursday 11th:  Cowboy day

LPA Assembly 3rd Block

Friday 12th:  Spirit day

LPA Dance 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

It has been over a week since the devastating earthquake struck Haiti. Hillcrest is helping out by collecting donations. On Tuesday and Thursday, student council set up a table in the student center where students could give money during their lunch periods.

“I’m really proud of how Hillcrest is responding to Haiti’s tragedy,” said Assemblies Coordinator Amanda Vigil. “It’s cool to see how even teens see the importance of giving as they pull change and dollar bills from their pockets.”

Hillcrest is competing against the other Springfield high schools to see who can raise the most money. More donations can be turned in to Brenda Stone.

After all the Homecoming festivities Cabinet finally got a break. At least for a couple of days.

“It was really nice to have a short break after how hectic Homecoming was,” said Social Commissioner member Caleb Hames.

Now Cabinet is hard at again. “We are getting ready for all the holiday activities,” said Student Body President, Chelsy Rea. Cabinet is preparing for the Holiday Assembly which will be on December 22nd. “We’re hoping it will turn out even better than the Homecoming Assembly. We have a lot of fun surprises planned that hopefully will get all the students more involved,” Rea said.

In addition to the Holiday Assembly, Cabinet is getting ready to start selling candy grams. They will be sold during lunch the 8th through the 17th, then delivered on Friday the 18th. “I love buying all my friends candy grams and getting them too,” said senior Kendra Edmonds.

The candy grams will be sold one for 50 cents, or three for a dollar. You can decorate the gram and send it to anyone at Hillcrest.

“I plan on leaving my ‘from’ line blank so my friends think they have a secret admirer,” said senior Taylor Sade.

Cabinet has been hard at work for the past few weeks getting everything ready for Homecoming.

“It has been crazy trying to get everything put together. I never thought it would be so much hard work, but I really think it’s going to be great,” said senior Marlee McDaris.

The theme of Homecoming is “A Night in Times Square”. Stuco member Kendra Edmonds said,”I am really excited about the theme this year because after visiting New York this spring it remains a magical place in my mind.”

Cabinet has been re-creating the New York skyline with foam cut-outs to make the dance look like it’s right in the middle of Times Square. Students will walk through the subway way doors into Times Square where the dance, scheduled for three hours, will take place.

The Hillcrest Cabinet, the “management arm” of the Student Council (StuCo), is off to a stronger start than years past.

Cabinet co-sponsor Kelli Studdard said, “I feel this year we’re much more organized. We have a lot of activities planned and we’re trying to increase school spirit.” Cabinet is doing just that. During the summer months the ten cabinet members and a couple of parents worked hard to re-do the large white-rock “HHS” on the northeast end of football field. Cabinet also decided that the main focus of 2009-2010 school year would be to boost school spirit and get many more students involved. The group’s other co-sponsor, Brandy Enver, said, “I’m really excited about Cabinet this year. We have a great group of students that are ready and willing to increase school spirit.” That has already included a tailgate party before the first football game, and a spirited first assembly for fall sports.

The Student Council recently had more than 50 kids sign up. Vice President Michael Freeman said, “I am very pleased with the turnout this year for StuCo. I feel it’s going to be one of the best years we have had in a while.”

Studdard said Stuco is an excellent way to get involved with Hillcrest as a whole, instead of just with individual activities.

“It gets students involved with the social aspects of high school life, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Studdard, who also is the HHS Drama teacher.

The large number of students signed up for StuCo is a relief for the Cabinet members.

“With big events and most of all assemblies, we need all the help we can get,” said StuCo President Chelsy Rea. “They will definitely keep very busy with all the activities we have planned.” Cabinet’s biggest event of the year is coming soon. Homecoming, or “Regalia,” is about a month away and the group is working hard to make it a success. They started planning and picked the theme (which has not yet been revealed) before the school year even started. One thing different this year–the Homecoming assembly and game take place Thursday, October 29, followed by the dance on Friday the 30th.

2009-2010 Cabinet Members:
President- Chelsy Rea
Vice President- Michael Freeman
Secretary- Courtney Busby
Artistic- Bailey Irvine
Assemblies- Amanda Vigil
Dance- Caleb Hames
Elections- Brittney Clay
Financial- Allyson Moeller
Media- Marlee McDaris
Sponsor- Brandy Enver
Sponsor- Kelli Studdard