Throughout the summer, Student Council officers and a few members spent a lot of time getting ready for this school year. Officers attended a leadership camp at Texas State University in San Marcos, learning how to develop a better organization and get advice from other student councils from across the state.“Getting to know other people in Student Council from other schools has opened my mind to all the fun and exciting events we can plan for the 2012-2013 school year,” senior Katie Moore said.Major changes are underway to help organize the club and get more students involved. One such change is prom will no longer be planned by Student Council, but will be planned by Student Government, giving StuCo the opportunity to focus on other events including homecoming and Red Ribbon week.Incorporating sub committees is another addition to StuCo. This will allow students to participate and help plan events they are interested in. The committees include: Pride and Patriotism, Energy and Environment, DASH (drug, alcohol, safety, health), Community Service and Student/Teacher Appreciation.

This year Student Council also has a class where officers and other members discuss ideas and get things organized.

“Last year we were pretty unorganized and spent a lot of time just planning prom,” junior Savannah Davis said. “Having an officer class will allow a lot more time to address important issues.”

Instead of having StuCo officers voted into office by only council members, this year’s officers were elected by the entire school. This year’s officers are: Michael Murray, president; Brittany Carbonnel, vice president; Malika Gradek, secretary; Albert Kim, treasurer; Katie Moore, historian; and Savannah Davis, reporter. StuCo also has new sponsors, English teacher Lisa Cook and Spanish teacher Mark Killingbeck.

“I definitely want to see more school spirit,” Murray said. “There’s more to coming to McNeil than just having to come because the state requires it.”

Throughout the year, students can expect to see many changes to StuCo, as well as the school. One of the main goals of StuCo is to promote school spirit across campus and get more people involved.

“When I was in high school I remember having a lot of pride in my school,” Cook said, “The students and faculty members had a lot of spirit. I want to see the student council not only get the student body excited but also the faculty.”