School spirit is an important aspect of John Paul II, and the Student Representative Council (SRC) is an organization of John Paul II students and staff who plan the spirit activities.
Every year, the students in the SRC can run for executive positions on the council, such as senior ring, junior ring or activity co-ordinator. The senior rings (currently Kinsey Sherstobitoff and Heather Leitner) are in charge of running the monthly meetings. The staff members involved in the council are Cheryl Thompson (the teacher in charge of the group), Murray Zakresky, Charlene Dubyna, Janet Benoit, Jean Fauchon, Melissa Fuhr and Roxanne Stynsky. There are 45 students on this year's SRC.
The students in the SRC plan several spirit days each month, such as retro day, pyjama day, and nerd day. The SRC also plans talent shows, Grade 8 welcome days and pep rallies and sells treats on special occasions during the lunch hour. "Being in charge of the SRC is a big job, and is tiring at times. However, it is fun working with great students and watching them develop into leaders" said Cheryl Thompson.
As earlier mentioned, school spirit is an important aspect of John Paul II. Good school spirit sends a positive vibe throughout the school, and shows other schools that we're proud to be students at John Paul II. "A school with great school spirit will have students who are engaged in activities, are happy, and are seeing success in their academics. School teams are more successful when they have spirited students cheering them on. Activities such as drama and musicals are also a lot more successful. I find that having activities for the students develops the school spirit and, in reverse, having school spirit results in more successful activities." said Thompson.
Any students from Grades 8 to 12 are allowed in SRC, and sign up in the spring when applications go out for executive and class representative positions. "I encourage students to get involved in some sort of extracurricular activity in the school whether it be SRC, key club, drama club, SADD, the school musical, or sports teams. Any involvement will help build school spirit and build valuable skills such as leadership, cooperation and organization." said Thompson.
Leadership is a skill that the students in SRC will develop over the course of the time they spend in the club. The executive members of the group travel to a yearly leadership conference to meet other SRC members from around Saskatchewan, and also develop good leadership skills. All members of SRC are welcomed to go on a three-day team building trip to Ranger Lake near the end of summer holidays. Over the course of the three days, the students learn how to work with others, as well as how to lead a group.
Being a part of the SRC is a learning experience like no other.
