High school leadership class focuses on co-op

The Ritzville High School leadership class has recently made a list of projects to complete before the academic cooperative next school year. The main goal for the group, composed of six students, is to create a positive and welcoming environment for the students from Lind.

The students in this semester’s leadership class are Taylor Murphy, Kailey York, Dylan Hartz, Tyler O’Brien, Davis Killian and Brittany Ste. Marie. The business teacher, Guy Strot, who has been working with the students to create projects that benefit both students from Lind and Ritzville schools, teaches the class.

“The leadership class helps us be aware of what’s going on, and keep perspective on what the Lind kids will see when they come to the school next year. We want it to be welcoming,” said Murphy.

The leadership group has decided on the title “Explode With Red & Black. Ritzville High School Project Twenty-Twelve,” as a group name and to define proposed projects.

With the anticipation and excitement for the academic cooperative next school year, the leadership class has designated five projects that they want to have completed before the start of school. The first step towards the projects is narrowing down the long list of updates the students want to see at the school.

The first example that the students have towards the first project is a banner reading “Lind Ritzville High School, Home of the Broncos” that is currently hanging the in school lobby. The students intend on painting the school name on the outside of the building next to the front parking lot.

The rest of the ideas and plans for the group include painting the classroom doors, painting the lockers, cleaning out and emptying the storage room, and creating an academic wall or GPA board. The most important thing for the students is creating a friendly environment that displays the unity between the two schools.

The plan for the classroom doors and lockers is to paint all of them school colors, black and red, and to have the teacher’s name and class name painted above the doors. As of now, Ritzville High School has a lot of yellow accent features that the students are excited to be rid of.

After the school is repainted, the students want to focus on emptying the storage room and creating additional space for teachers and room to host Special Education classes. The leadership group realizes that with more students comes more teachers, and the current storage room could provide the equivalent amount of space needed for the educators.

As the students continue to move forward with the plans, they all acknowledged why they decided to take the leadership course. The overwhelming and unanimous response: because of Mr. Strot.

Murphy has taken classes with Strot previous to the leadership class and also serves as president of the Future Business Leaders of America club that Strot advises. Murphy and York agreed that “Mr. Strot has been a really good teacher” and the leadership class presented itself as the chance to continue taking his classes.

“I was originally TA (teacher’s assistant) for Mr. Strot and I sat in on his classes and liked it,” said Hartz. “He’s pushing us to change and teaching us not to be afraid of change.”

O’Brien showed interest in the class because he wanted to learn more about leadership and believed it would be the best opportunity to help the school. Killian joined because of her passion for leadership and because of the chance to take a new course. Ste. Marie had taken leadership during freshman year and wanted to continue learning about leadership.

During the semester, the leadership group distributed surveys to the students currently attending Ritzville High School. The survey asked students if they approved of the proposed projects and also asked for input on improvements the student body would like to see.

The overall population approved and agreed with the current list of improvements, and the leadership group set off to continue planning of each project. The first, and most important, focus of the group is brainstorming fundraising ideas.

The students decided to have a community garage sale during the spring or early summer and are asking community members for donations. The group is actively searching for a location where the items for the sale can be stored.

“During the next three to four weeks, we want to tell people that, for example, every Saturday they can come drop off items for the sale. But we’re still looking for donated space,” said Strot.

Unlike typical garage sales, the leadership group has taken a different approach by selling items in the community and also on the Internet. After the initial yard sale in Ritzville, the group intends to put the remaining items on to an eBay account and allow the fundraiser to be ongoing.

The students plan to continue collecting items after the initial fundraiser is complete and if people are interested in selling any quality items, they should contact the leadership members. The members come to the house, take a photo of the item, create an eBay advertisement and once the item sells, 50 percent of the profits go back to the owner and the other half goes towards the school improvement projects.

The garage sale fundraiser is in conjunction with Project 56 and the two groups plan to collect items for the sale until June. The leadership group plans to sell yearbooks outside of Gilson Gymnasium during the Ritzville Alumni Banquet on Memorial Day weekend as a separate fundraiser.

With the funds raised from these events, the group intends to immediately start with the planned projects. The leadership group is determined to have all of the projects completed prior to the start of school in order to provide all students with a welcoming atmosphere.

Murphy, Killian, Ste. Marie and York are all graduating this year, but they are still committed to completing the projects. All of the girls have an interest in visiting the school next year when the projects are finished to see the overall outcome.

For more information about the leadership group or to donate items or space for the community garage sale, contact the leadership group members by e-mail at [email protected]. Strot can also be contacted at Ritzville High School, 659-1720 or by e-mail at [email protected]. The group recently set up a Facebook page titled “Ritzville High School.”