In a small school like Meridian, student organizations play a crucial role in building community and fostering school spirit. The Senior High Student Council stands out as a prime example—a group of dedicated students who balance multiple responsibilities while developing valuable life skills.

"We're a great group of kids," says Lailah Hite, the Student Council president. "We're hardworking, driven, and we're all involved. We get very creative."

Membership in Student Council is open to students with good academic standing (primarily A's and B's) and no behavior problems. While the organization typically includes representatives from every grade level, this year's Council consists exclusively of sophomores and juniors, as no freshmen or seniors volunteered.

"As long as they have good grades and no behavioral problems and they show up to meetings, they're part of the Student Council," explains their Advisor Alexis Massey, who splits her time between the High School and Elementary school buildings. In addition to sponsoring Student Council, she serves as the junior class sponsor and also coaches softball.

When election season arrives at the beginning of the school year, the Council members vote among themselves to determine who will serve as officers. Currently Lailah Hite, presides as president, Meegan Long serves as secretary, and Jayla Meeks handles treasurer duties.

The rhythm of the organization follows the school calendar. "It's once a week until we get to homecoming, and then after that it's once a month," says their advisor, describing their meeting schedule.

Homecoming represents the council's showcase event of the year. This past January, they transformed the High School with a "Our Homecoming Stars" theme that impressed the student body.

"It was so cute. It was so pretty. All the lights," recalls one member fondly, before adding with pride, "We were up at 10 a.m. decorating."

The council has worked to elevate the Homecoming week over recent years, introducing new traditions like the Spirit Stick that fostered friendly competition between classes. "Homecoming week this year was very competitive, more so with the juniors and the sophomores. We were going at it all week," shares one council member.

Funding these activities requires dedication. The group operates concession stands during basketball games, with all proceeds supporting Homecoming week festivities and the dance.

They've also learned important financial lessons along the way. "The beginning of this year, we didn't really have a lot of money for Homecoming, but we learned how to budget," explains a council member. "Massey would take us on shopping sprees to make sure we knew we had this amount of money and how much we could spend so we weren't going over."

Beyond event planning, Student Council members develop crucial life skills—budgeting, teamwork, conflict resolution, and community service. They learn to value different perspectives while working toward common goals.

"We all value each other's opinions. We don't step on another's toes. We sit there and we discuss everything," says one member. "We don't discourage people not to join because it's a fun club. It might look like we're boring sometimes, but we're having fun."

The Advisor, Alexis Massey, sees tremendous growth in her students. "When I first came here, they didn't have much of a Homecoming week. And then we started doing more, and each year it's progressed more and more."

As the school year winds down, the council is already looking ahead to next year's activities while many members shift focus to other responsibilities, like planning the upcoming Junior-Senior Prom.

Their message to fellow students and the community is clear: get involved. "We're only in high school once," says a council member passionately. "I feel like any club you can get in, you should try to get in, because you don't know what you're missing out on."

The Advisor adds a final thought: "You can't complain about something that you're not involved in."