Student Council is on fire this year. Along with new advisors, the council is experiencing new roles at a higher level. One of these roles is SED or the Southeast Division Of Minnesota’s Association of Student Councils. SED is the section of Minnesota high school student councils located in the southeast division of the state. There are two conventions each year, with the SED student executive board and host school leading the event. Owatonna’s student council is hosting this year’s fall convention because senior Emma Smith is the SED vice president. Senior Grace McClintock, student council president, is excited for the convention. McClintock said, “Hosting SED hasn’t happened in a while for Owatonna. It is great that Emma was elected VP, so we could have this opportunity. It allows us to help with the functioning of upper level student council.”

SED is Monday, Oct. 9. Council members will be spending their day off at the high school sharpening their leadership skills with students from schools of all sizes in the southeast division of Minnesota. The SED convention is a day for students to network and share ideas to make their school better. McClintock said, “It is a great experience for the members of our council and gives everyone an opportunity to connect with other students in the division.” Mr. Jeff Ettinger, CEO of Hormel Foods Corporation, will be speaking to the students on leadership during the morning, followed by round table discussions in the afternoon. Owatonna Student Council has gotten many of their successful ideas from past SED conventions, such as the “Owat-A-Man” Male Pageant and Music Fridays during lunch. Along with discussing event planning, students at SED explore how to be better leaders in their school. McClintock said, “SED is also a great source of ideas to implement in our own schools. It is not just about how to plan a dance, but also about real issues facing our school system and state. We have a voice and discussing opinions at these conferences is key to keeping that voice in legislature new and fresh.” SED conferences are prelims to the MASC/MAHS state conference in April.