This summer, the OHS student council was in a crunch to find a new adviser. After reaching out to lots of leaders in the school district, the student council finally came across Ms. Wendy Eggermont and Ms. Heather Elfring. The student council executive board contacted Ms. Eggermont and Ms. Elfring inquiring about being the new advisers, to which they gladly accepted the position. 

Ms. Eggermont is the teaching and learning/ talent development coordinator for the district. Up until this point, Ms. Eggermont never entertained the thought of being a student council adviser. After considering how important the student council is, Ms. Eggermont knew it was something worth being involved in. Ms. Eggermont said, “I would definitely want to become an adviser if that means we get to continue to provide activities and things to do for the students.” OHS prioritizes school spirit, and student council is the root for all school events. 

Ms. Elfring is an adaptive PE teacher throughout the district. She works in four different schools throughout the day, including the high school. When Ms. Elfring saw a student council adviser position open up, she knew it was something she wanted to be a part of. Ms. Elfring said, “I did student council in high school and I really enjoyed being involved in it.” 

Student council president Lileigh Nguyen is hopeful for the upcoming year. Nguyen said, “We want to promote team spirit this year and get some fun activities out there for the student body.” As president, it can be difficult to run an entire council without an adviser. Discussing the hardest part of the transition, Nguyen said, “It’s been very hard trying to get everything organized and done, and not having our advisers in the building makes it even harder.” Not having the capability to just stop in and talk to her adviser at any point in the day can be frustrating and make communicating hard. 

Not everything is easy when it comes to this position. While discussing the hardest part of being a student council adviser, Ms. Eggermont said, “There’s a lot more to this role than anyone ever realized. Coming in, I had no idea truly, all the little things like paperwork, contracts, money, scripts and other things that are put on the adviser.” 

There are lots of hidden responsibilities that most people don’t realize are there. Being thrown into the job during the busiest time of the year, homecoming, Ms. Elfring says it has been a lot harder than expected. Ms. Elfring said, “There was a lot of stuff that went into homecoming that I didn’t realize like the parade, dance, and all the other activities.” Now that homecoming is over, there is some downtime for both advisers to reflect. 

Being the adviser for student council is a big responsibility that Ms. Eggermont and Ms. Elfring are excited to take on. Although there is a lot of work behind this job, with a diligent executive board to work off of, she has a lot of support. Only a month into the school year, both Ms. Eggermong and Ms. Elfring have already shown great leadership and are foreshadowing a bright future for the OHS Student Council. 

With a successful homecoming in the books, student council has a lot of weight off their shoulders. From working parade crew to decorating for the dance, student council had a busy week. Although, it’s not time to relax yet. Student council has already begun planning for their next event in November. Cash Drive is coming up with lots of fun activities planned for the week.