This spring, Shadow Ridge High School’s Student Council will once again attend the National Leadership Conference, an opportunity designed to help student leaders strengthen their skills and bring new ideas back to campus. The conference features a wide range of sessions led by motivational speakers and leadership professionals. Students choose from hundreds of classes focused on leadership development, communication, organization, and student engagement. Each day is structured with multiple sessions at different times, allowing students to attend several workshops.

One student council member, junior Piper Stewart shared, “At the National Leadership Conference they have us go to all of these inspirational speakers about how to be better leaders and how to better help our school and how to get all these different skills that will help better our student government. You’ll pick what classes you want and there’s hundreds of classes to choose from.”

Preparing for the trip has also required significant fundraising efforts. The cost of the conference is about $1,000 per student, and student council members have been actively working to fundraise for expenses.

“Right now we’re doing a bunch of fundraisers to get some of the trip paid off,” Stewart said. “We have about $13,000 that we need to raise in total, so it’s been a lot of preparation and planning.”

Students are excited about the skills they hope to gain from the experience. Many are looking forward to improving their communication and organizational abilities, skills that are essential for running effective events and initiatives on campus

“I want to learn how to take an idea and actually execute it in a way that works. That’s something that can help not just the student council, but our future careers too.” Stewart continued, “I’m most excited about getting closer with the students who are going. Last year was super fun, and I got really close with the administrators and the students who came with us.”

Student leaders believe the conference will directly benefit Shadow Ridge’s Student Council program by teaching officers how to lead more effectively. The experience also helps councils qualify for leadership awards and provides dedicated time for officers and executive board members to collaborate.

“Student Council is really fun. If you like staying after school, being artsy, and working on posters, it’s a great fit. It also opens doors to scholarships and teaches you skills that will stick with you beyond high school.”