Student Council sign ups are going on right now at Hillcrest High school.

Cabinet is concerned this year because it seems that kids are not as anxious to get their name on that list, as in previous years.

“Students don’t have as great of a motivation to be involved as much as they used to, I guess. I don’t know if it’s because they haven’t been informed about Student Council, or if they just aren’t interested in the things that Student Council does for their school,” said Student Body President Sarah Thomas.

Joining Student Council gives kids the chance to take part in things that are going on at Hillcrest. StuCo does things like organize Blood Drives, Social Events, Tailgate Parties, Dances, and Assemblies.

Student Council sponsor and English Teacher Sheridan Turner said, “StuCo enables students to get plugged into the school through activity involvement. Studies show that when students are involved with extra curricular activities at school, they do better academically and make better choices in life.”

They also get a chance to represent their school in the community by volunteering at places like the Convoy of Hope and Ozark Food Harvest, as well as improving the physical aspect of their school, through picking up trash and landscaping.

“Student council is a great opprotunity to get involved in your school and community. Not only will you learn a lot about leadership, but you will have tons of fun,” said Ashley Hansen, Elections Commissioner.

Cabinet members are saying that this year, Student Council is going to make an impact and a change at Hillcrest High school, but to achieve this goal, they are going to need more helping hands to make it possible.

If you are interested in being a part of Student Council, you can sign-up out side of Brenda Stone’s window. You also need to get an application and turn it in to Mr. Scott as soon as possible. Due date for applications is Friday, November 18th.

Student Council this year has already started off on a positive note.

During the summer you could find the members of Cabinet working on campus beautification, planting flowers, watering shrubs, or brainstorming on how to improve the upcoming school year.

The theme of the 2011-2012 school year is ” Come Together. ” It is also Cabinet’s goal and mission statement. The vision of the StuCo kids is to form a sense of fellowship and support from the community.

“I want the student body to be proud of the Hornet’s home, and have that North Side Pride we’ve been missing the past few years,” said Student Body President Sarah Thomas.

Coach Davis, a teacher here at HHS, said, “Hillcrest has got a lot going on for them this year, Dorial Greenn-Beckham is the number one wide receiver in the country, HTV is one of the nation’s top high school broadcast programs, and JROTC is one of the area’s top battalions,” said Davis.

“One of the biggest struggles we have in planning assemblies is knowing that the kids might not participate in games we plan and things we need the students to be a part of to make it successful, due to a lack of school spirit,” said Assemblies Coordinator Brad Thomas.

“This year is going to be the year that Hillcrest takes a turn for the best and is known for the good things they do instead of the poor choices some students from Hillcrest made. And Cabinet is doing everything they can to make this year one that everyone will remember,” said Thomas.

Cabinet and Student Council are planning more get togethers like tailgate parties before home football games and after school socials, and the Kool-Aid Social planned for this Friday after the ending bell.

Thomas says they are planning on having a monthly social to encourage the togetherness they are hoping for this year.

The beginning of a new year always brings in a new Hillcrest Cabinet. This year a new Cabinet has replaced the old, not unlike any other year, but this year the new 2010-2011 Cabinet is making some noticeable changes.

Student council  is making a dramatic recruitment change. Instead of the usual practice of signing up to gain entrance in the club, students are now required to go through an interview process which includes a resumé with teacher recommendations, and GPA  requirements.  That is followed by an impromptu interview with Cabinet members on the spot to show character, creativity, as well as work ethic.

Vice President Levi Harrell said, “I believe this new system will ensure that good quality students make it into Student Council, because that’s what we need, hard working kids who want to help.”

The new system will cut the normal number of student council of forty into a smaller, tight-nit group of less then twenty five. Interviews for this new StuCo took place on September eighth and ninth.  The first test of this experimental council will be their first meeting on Wednesday, September 15.

2010-2011 HHS Cabinet

President: Ali Randolph

Vice President: Levi Harrell

Secretary: Allyson Moeller

Elections: Katie Newton

Dance: Katie Johnson

Artistic: Kristina Bussard

PR: Dallas Mooney

Media: Jodie Putman

Campus: Sarah Thomas

Assemblies: Thomas Dias

Tech Log: Jordan Gardner

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