Sweetwater Union High School Students Get a Jump-Start on Leadership

To get an early start on the school year, Chula Vista High School hosted this summer’s Associated Student Body (ASB) Leadership Camp.  Over 500 students from Sweetwater’s 14 high schools attended the camp to hone their skills in team-building, organizing activities and building school culture.

During the two-day camp, students participated in a variety of activities to present their ideas and learn from others.  In a “Meet the Pros” activity, teams shared a spirit activity or showcase event that they organized for their school to share best practices.  “Some of us may come to ASB Camp thinking that we know everything that there is to know about ASB, but when you walk in here you quickly realize that there is definitely a lot to learn” says Esteban a senior from Bonita Vista High School.   According to Mark Carpizo, Assistant Principal of Student Activities at Southwest High School, activities such as “Meet the Pros,” live demonstrations of lunchtime activities, and job-alike break-out sessions give the students an opportunity to “get new ideas and to get pumped up for the school year.”

Running the "Business" of the School

“The intent of ASB is to make school relevant for all students,” says Scott Tanner, Assistant Principal of Student Activities at Chula Vista High School.  “If a student is more involved, then he or she will feel a stronger connection to school and will ultimately be more successful.”  Whether through organizing class competitions or homecoming, ASB is responsible for creating those social moments that make school a place where all students want to be.  Through this process, ASB students learn the ins and outs of the operations behind organizing a successful event.

“ASB itself is a million dollar operation,” say Bill McLaughlin who oversees the ASB programs for the Sweetwater District. “Students are responsible for not only the promotion and planning of their own sponsored events, but also for managing all of the funds that are raised on campus.” In running the business of the school, ASB students take on many responsibilities including: maintaining accounts and coordinating all club and athletic fundraising, selling athletic uniforms, tracking athletic eligibility and awards, running the concessions at games, planning events such as homecoming and prom and running the school government. ASB students do all of this while balancing the demands of keeping their grades up and participating in sports and clubs themselves.

To be successful, ASB students have to work hard, lead by example, and enlist the help of other students.  McLaughlin says that “ASB commissioners have to reach out to the student body at large asking ‘What would be fun to do, and can you help?’”  In addition to organizing people and resources in short period of time, ASB students have to be tuned-in to the needs of students and be able to, as McLaughlin puts it, “create those magical moments that will be remembered” for years to come.

Sweetwater In Brief

Student Success is Central to Everything We Do.

Dr. Brand sets the stage for the school year by highlighting accomplishments from last year and focusing efforts to boost student achievement through fiscal responsibility, teamwork, and the Compact for Success.  Watch the video of the "Superintendent's Message" here.
 

San Ysidro High School

has been selected as a semi-finalist for the 2013 MetLife-NASSP Breakthrough Schools™ award. SYH is one out of eleven schools that have been selected in this national competition.