On Friday, October 25, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the California Association Student Council (CASC) hosted their annual Fall Conference. This conference consists from students throughout all the schools across multiple districts who are separated into different groups to discuss various conflicts schools face in this generation. At the end of the conference, each group will present to a table of board members of what they think is a proper solution. This event was a great success marking a great step towards leadership from many. At the end of the event, students earned seven volunteer hours, and something to add onto college applications if you are an upperclassmen.
Starting this event, CASC introduced their counselors and research members that are highly involved in their organization, and further shared more about what they do. Soon, all the student attendees were separated into separate groups revolving around various issues schools face, allowing these students to focus on one and understand possible solutions to each conflict. Each group consisted of a number of students, a counselor and a research position member of CASC. Moreover, once understanding each conflict, students chose a writer and two presenters, and crafted a proposal for a bill to be passed about their cause.
This masterfully crafted proposal would soon be presented to important members of Simi Valley for their thoughts and considerations. Many Highlanders who arrived got the chance to write and present these proposals. These presentations have a history of taking action, as many years back, a proposal was passed and their initiative of providing menstruation products in all the ladies bathroom’s came into fruition. Junior Katie Ju shared her thought behind the Fall Conference, and said, “CASC was a great opportunity to not only voice my own concerns and suggestions about various issues in California schools, but also listen and participate in active discussions with other students.”
When asked about the overall experience with interacting and collaborating with other student, Ju said, “It was interesting to hear students from different schools, both high schoolers and middle schoolers, open up about topics such as mental health, substance abuse, and school safety,” showing the impact about having multiple age groups speak out about heavy topics many students face. This event not only influenced change, but it also encouraged many students to be leaders and aiding them in gaining confidence to orchestrate more impact.
