Students create clubs with sponsors, lead organizations
A laptop sits on a desk showing the student council’s Instagram page. Junior vice president Grace Hale keeps students up to date about events around the school through the StuCo social medias. “My experience in StuCo has impacted me in every way possible,” Hale said. “Being in StuCo has also inspired me to expand my horizons and join even more clubs. I can’t imagine my life without Student Council.”
September 1, 2020
With an updated system in place, students and teachers can propose their own clubs as long as they have secured a faculty sponsor.
To create a club, students must find a staff member to be their sponsor and the sponsor will fill out a Google Form. While this process is new, students have had the opportunity to lead and initiate clubs in the past.
“If students want to start a group, they must first secure a staff member to be the sponsor,” assistant principal Gerald Parr said. “The potential sponsor would fill out an application for a club, and if they meet the guidelines set forth by the district, they can be approved.”
The Google Form has been emailed to all faculty members. The sponsor will fill it out with the name of the organization, sponsor name, and description of the club. After a confirmation, further steps will be taken to officially create the club.
“It is the goal of PHS to assure all students have the opportunity to connect with other students and with our staff,” Parr said. “We feel like clubs are a great way for students to make connections.”
Current clubs include the Engineering Club, ECO Club, Creative Writing Club, Prosper FFA and more.
“This year, we are even asking teachers to suggest clubs they feel students could benefit from and clubs they would like to sponsor,” Parr said.
Besides creating clubs, students also are involved in leading clubs. Junior Grace Hale, for example, is vice president of the junior class and a prominent leader in the student council.
“Anything you see put out by StuCo, I am the one behind it,” Hale said. “I run the Prosper StuCo Instagram account, and I am in charge of creating all of the infographics and advertisements for our events. I am also the chairperson for the DASH committee, so I am in charge of drugs, alcohol, health, and safety awareness for the entire student council/student population.”
Hale also plans and executes events, creates posters and implements ways to represent and involve the student population.
“My experience in StuCo has impacted me in every way possible,” Hale said. “When I came into high school, I was not confident, and I struggled with feeling like I belonged to something because I wasn’t involved in any sports or arts. My mom pushed me to run for StuCo, and ever since freshman year, it has changed my life.”
Hale said she now feels like she is making a difference through the organization.
“I take pride in executing every event I plan to my greatest ability, and I am always trying to give back to the school and the students,” Hale said. “Being in StuCo has also inspired me to expand my horizons and join even more clubs. I can’t imagine my life without the Student Council.”
The student council Instagram can be found at @prosperstuco and Hale’s Instagram can be found at @ggracehalee.
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Thanks to @eno_phs for snapping this pic of our amazing sponsors @ senior sunrise this morning! 🥰
“I think student leadership is certainly important in clubs,” Hale said. “Not only does it create a good foundation for the club, to make it more successful, but it gives students the opportunities to do things that will greatly benefit them as they grow older.”
Similar to Hale, senior Isha Iqbal serves as president of Future Health Professionals, or HOSA.
“As HOSA president, my responsibilities include conducting meetings, reaching out to the community, finding volunteer opportunities, and facilitating the growth of the club and its members through immersion in the medical environment,” Iqbal said.
The HOSA Instagram, run by junior HOSA officers Shreya and Sneha Algole, can be found at @prosper.hosa.
“Being a leader through HOSA has impacted me tremendously,” Iqbal said. “I learned how to coordinate projects, communicate effectively with people of all ages, and more importantly, learned how to channel my passion of helping others. I have grown not only as a student, but as a person as a whole.”
Iqbal said she owes all her experience and growth to her HOSA sponsors Marlaina Megli and Kelli Factor, as well as her HOSA team.
“It is extremely important for students to lead clubs and organizations because through leadership, students learn how to work in teams and how to stay organized, skills essential to life after high school,” Iqbal said. “Aside from learning practical expertise, students learn empathy and compassion, skills that can not be taught, but are gained through experience.”
