A school can only be as successful as its staff and its students.
At Patrick Henry High School, one of the key pieces of the puzzle is the contributions made by the Associated Student Body.
“ASB is critical to the functioning of a school,” noted ASB advisor Autumn Ross. “In every decision ASB makes, the primary question asked is ‘How will this benefit all students?’ We craft events, experiences and strive to build a positive campus culture, rich with spirit and ways for students to be involved.”
Ross is a Patrick Henry High alum. As she sees it, Patrick Henry students who feel connected – to the school, to each other – are more likely to have a positive school experience.
“ASB is so important to helping create those spaces for students to find connection,” Ross said. “Whether that’s through the approximately 80 clubs we support, pep rallies/dances we plan, student section activities during athletic events, staff/student outreach, community service opportunities, and more.
“I also love that ASB is a means for students to partner with our teachers, administrators and other staff. ASB helps to be a bridge between all the stakeholders that make a school function.”
Guiding and backing ASB leaders
As the school’s ASB advisor/student activities director, Ross says that her job is to guide and back the ASB leaders while gradually releasing more and more responsibility to take full ownership of these events and activities.
“I provide opportunities to each get experience planning events, managing complex budgets, communication skills (with staff, students, community outreach), as well as being able to collaborate as a team,” Ross said.
“I truly try to act as a mentor, where students take on as much as they are able, while helping them navigate challenges and come up with creative solutions to inevitable problems that arise with any event/activity we plan.”
As Ross sees it, she is very fortunate in that she gets to work with many of these students for multiple years.
“It is such a reward to watch them grow in confidence and actively seek out ways to grow their leadership skill set,” Ross said. “This is a space for creativity where students can thrive.
“I love knowing that these skills like organization, leadership, resilience and grittiness will serve them in the future.”
Ross said she gets very sentimental when students graduate, but finds preparing them for the world outside high school is very fulfilling.
“I love knowing that the culture we create on campus, can create spaces for students that need a place to belong,” Ross said. “I’m so thankful for all the club advisors, and other staff I am fortunate to work with that partner with ASB and make that happen… Truly unsung heroes on our campus. “
Christina Nguyen is one student who has has enjoyed and benefitted from time spent on the Associated Student Body.
“I was interested in joining ASB as a sophomore, but having a packed schedule, I couldn’t give myself the time or space to apply,” said Nguyen, who serves as the group’s president.
“My friend was the class treasurer; she helped me with the application process, telling me what the class is about and why I should definitely join. Hearing about ASB’s huge involvement on campus made me really interested in joining… as well as the community ASB gives.”
Nguyen said that the social aspects of ASB are underrated and that she gained many friendships as well as new leadership skills, as the group is very active around campus.
“Our ASB plans events months before the actual date of the event to plan accordingly and be prepared for that event,” Nguyen added. “We get the opportunity to plan dances, pep-rallies, movie nights, football themes, community service, like blood drives, food drives, clothing drives, anything that brings the community together as a whole.
“There are 36 students at Patrick Henry that are involved with ASB. We also have an additional three students from our Special Education class that enjoys helping ASB around campus. These students make a difference on campus by giving input, opinions, getting all hands on deck to get the job done.”
As Nguyen sees it, having ASB on campus is important.
“It gives students input/perspective onto our campus, giving us a voice to bring what we want onto our campus so all students can be heard and enjoy their school year,” Nguyen said.
“ASB plans the well-known big events. We step up and plan everything throughout the school year. Having 36 students on campus is very important. Having student input is important, we know what the student body wants and needs, we work our ways around the ‘No’s’ to make things happen.”
‘One of the best decisions I ever could have made’
Another student invested in ASB is Eitan Tour, who service as vice president for the body.
“Being in ASB all four years of high school is one of the best decisions that I ever could have made,” Tour said.
“I would have never had the personal growth I’ve had in areas of leadership, event management, and cooperation if I didn’t stick it through.
“Our job is to represent the whole of the student body, and to uplift their high school experience.”
Treasurer EJ Jerpseth noted, “Starting out as a really insecure ninth-grader, joining ASB on basically a whim, then branching out after the class helped me realize being social and outgoing wasn’t terrible like I’d thought transformed how I view myself. Maybe it’s a combination of maturing as well, but I’ve never doubted for a second that joining wasn’t worth it.”
Secretary Whitley Swain said being a part of ASB allows them a chance to support their school and its culture and bring people together in the process.
“I enjoy planning events, supporting my classmates, and creating a positive environment where everyone feels included,” Swain said. “It’s extremely rewarding to see our hard work turn into memories for my classmates.”
For ASB historian Lily Castillo, the group has allowed her and other students to not only get involved at school, but also in the community.
“Being the ASB historian and running our socials has helped me to connect with students, learn how to properly communicate with people, and sometimes learn stuff about people and communities I may not have known,” Castillo said.
Joining ASB
For those students interested in joining ASB, requirements are a 3.5 GPA and above and a 2.0 and above in citizenship.
“Most of the students in our current ASB have no leadership experience; the majority of your leadership learning skills will develop in ASB,” Nguyen said.
“Everyone learns something new every year since new students run for a new position each year.”
Students running for a class officer position or executive board position are required to make a video of their speech, which is then posted on the Patrick Henry ASB’s Instagram page for students to see and hear.
“All positions are required to send in a summary of intentions, why they want to join, what they can bring to the class/campus, and why they’re the best fit for their position.”
There isn’t a lot of down time in ASB, Nguyen said – there’s always something to be done.
” We have four different events that the whole ASB class contributes to, homecoming spirit week, homecoming halftime, homecoming dance, and homecoming pep rally,” she said. “Since summer, ASB has been planning homecoming.
“October is mainly dedicated to homecoming; all of our energy and time are being put into homecoming. It happens every year, we always want it to be better than last year.”
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