Members of the Virgin Valley High School Student Council attended the Nevada Association of Student Councils (NASC) annual Southern Zone Conference on Saturday, Jan. 28. The council sent twelve representatives, including two students as workshop presenters and two as junior council (JC) leaders.
The group left at 6:30 a.m. and made their way to Rancho High School in Las Vegas, the hosting school.
The theme for this year’s conference was “To Zone and Beyond! – Where Leadership Has No Limits”. This space theme not only allowed but encouraged costumes centered around space.
Many of the nearly 1,000 students in attendance donned space suits, galaxy-themed tutus, and shiny reflective pants. The costume that took the cake was a JC leader dressed as Leonardo Da Vinci (who was thought to have influenced the first designs of the telescope) with tights, a tunic, and a gray beard.
Guest speaker Kathy Buckley kicked off the conference. Kathy is a motivational speaker, comedian, actress, author, and most importantly an advocate.
Kathy was dealt a hard deck in life as she is deaf, but she was able to overcome her disability. Her speech brought many to tears with her inspiring message on not judging others and taking full advantage of opportunities that the students had been given.
The students then broke into junior councils, groups of 12-15 students from all different schools. This allowed ideas to be shared between schools. Each of the sixty JC groups had a different on-theme name.
Virgin Valley had two students including Student Body President Tyra Ludvigson and Senior Class Secretary Travis Terry. These two were selected as leaders of the “Jupiter” JC group.
“Having the opportunity to be a JC was super big for me!” Terry said. “I’ve had JCs of my own that have had a very big impact on my own life, and it makes me glad to have been able to have that same impact on others.”
Even though the JC groups are only with each other for a very short amount of time, they are able to have a connection with the whole group.
“JC groups are arguably the best part of the conference because of the people you get to meet!” Ludvigson said.
Students at the conference also attended workshops. These consist of student presenters who educate their peers on a trait such as leadership and communication. They might also share ideas on bigger projects such as fundraising and how to increase school spirit.
Virgin Valley had two workshop presenters: Junior Class President Ben Nelson and Student Body Secretary Celina Top. The two presented a workshop titled “Who’s Class is it Anyways? – A Guide Improve at Improv”. Their presentation offered advice on how to think on your feet and better utilize management skills to lead a group.
“Zone was an amazing experience!” Nelson said. “It inspired me to lead and be a better person. I had the opportunity to present a workshop, and my partner and I received lots of positive feedback.”
The conference would not be a real student council party without the continued tradition of dancing and singing to “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson.So, of course, students grooved! The song invites students to start with “the man in the mirror” and to make the world a better place by taking “a look at yourself and then make a change.”
“The Virgin Valley student council has thoroughly enjoyed the tradition of both zone and state conferences through NASC, Ludvigson said. “These conferences allow students to network and make meaningful connections. The conferences also rejuvenates the student leaders and allow for new ideas to surface.”
