St. Helens High School (SHHS) has received recognition for having a high achieving leadership program, earning a Gold Council Award from the Oregon Association of Student Councils (OASC).
SHHS was one of 21 high schools and 5 middle schools in the state that received recognition at the OASC Spring Leadership Conference on April 27, according to an announcement from the OASC.
The award, sponsored by the OASC, sets high standards for student councils and leadership programs and honors them if they can reach or exceed these goals.
Leadership programs begin by setting goals in the fall and actively participating in leadership activities and events throughout the year. In order to receive the award, programs must create and encourage activities that promote inclusivity among all students at the school and provide a series of events that include a variety of different areas/disciplines in the school. Along with involvement in the school, they must also demonstrate that they are gaining valuable leadership and professional skills that they can take with them outside of school.
Leadership at St. Helens High School
Noelle Freshner oversees the leadership program at SHHS, and she gave a recent example of students in leadership going above and beyond.
The St. Helens 2024 MORP Court of students Bay Scholl, Victoria Crawford, Cosette Rogers, Greco Baca, Leah Yarbor, and Lucy Durant raised $1,667 for Riverside Community Outreach.
MORP is the “anti prom” according to Freshner, and the court is made up of two freshmen, two sophomores, and two juniors who are voted on by the student body and the staff. Freshner said the winner of the court was decided by who raised the most money for a local nonprofit each year.
“In the end, we had two students who raised more than $500 each, and so we had two MORP court royalty that we determined as winners,” Freshner said.
Scholl and Baca were the winners, raising $602 and $500 respectively. The MORP court was a culmination of months of organizing and weeks of spirit activities and fundraising. This is just one example of how students are involved with activities in and out of school.
The award seems like a fitting recognition, as Freshner said the leadership program at SHHS is in the best spot it’s been in years.
“This is probably the healthiest St. Helens High School leadership team we’ve had since I started six years ago. They work incredibly well together,” Freshner said. “We started new initiatives this year and have been more involved in more than in any years past.”
Freshner said the student body officers have already been elected for next year, and she’s now interviewing incoming freshmen for the four leadership positions for the upcoming class.
Freshner said they have a full leadership team with every position filled going into next year. She said she can’t wait to get to know the new students but noted that the seniors have been “amazing.”
“One of the most important lessons we’ve learned supporting our youth leaders is that leadership is not an exclusive attribute– our student leaders are in every corner of Oregon’s schools. They directly affect the climate and culture of their schools, often extending their influence into the community and beyond. The programs awarded this level of recognition have exhibited how their student leaders show an incredible level of commitment to servant leadership. They have included their peers in school activities, developed and implemented impactful events for their community, and maintained a positive and creative approach to improving their school environment,” OASC Executive Director Miles Palacios said.
About the OASC
The OASC, founded in 1949 and sponsored by The Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) and the Oregon Association of Secondary School Administrators (OASSA).
This nonprofit serves middle and high school students and advisers from around the state. They provide conferences, workshops, online newsletters and summer leadership camps designed to heighten student leadership development and improve school culture.
In the last few years, OASC has also added a Capitol Ambassador program and has begun organizing with affinity groups. The association is guided by their mission statement:
Committed to leadership development with a vision for service, involvement and action.
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