by Kathryn Phelps
Hello it’s me again! If you forgot, my name is Kathryn Phelps. Instead of writing about a day in my life at NCHS, I want to tell you about the amazing time that my fellow Chiefs Council members and I had at the 2023 LASC Convention. Before I continue I want to a very special thank you to Mrs. Jamie Gilmore, Mrs. Kaylee Kaufman, Mrs. Jessica Odom, and last but certainly not least my mother, Reba Phelps. The incredible weekend would not have been possible without them.
To give you a little back story, NCHS had never attended this convention, so this was our first year. I had zero idea about what to expect because schools from all over the state would be attending this convention. To be completely honest, I thought this was going to be a nerd convention. I thought wrong. The convention was held at West Monore High School. Believe me when I say their student council is just as good as their football, I was blown away at the decorations and hospitality. Right when you walk in they were greeting you eagerly with excitement. As you walked in people were handing you things saying, “Hey! Vote Archbishop Rummel for State Parliamentarian”. At that point you’re so overwhelmed you just take it. This years theme was “Passport to Leadership, and boy was that true.
Later that night would be the first event, this would be the night where you get to see who was running for what office. You got to meet the candidates. So in order to do so the running school had to perform a skit. This was by far my favorite night, there were many laughs. Later in the night there was an inspirational speaker by the name of ‘Chu’. He was very fun to listen to, after listening to his story and what he had to share about being a leader, we left feeling like we could conquer the world. I think everyone felt the same way. I was not excited about the second day to be honest, we were all still unsure about the whole thing. But now I would do anything to go back. The second day would be the second general session meeting, with another speaker. Her name was the Amazing Tei Streets, she was a literal queen, she was indeed amazing, and I think everyone should have her energy in this world! After the Amazing Tei Streets was finished we went to out breakout sessions. This is actually what made me fall in love with LASC, hearing what other students did at their school opened up so many doors in my mind. These amazing ideas will definitely start being seen at NCHS.
When it was time to come back to the hotel for some rest time before the evening activities, me and my friends sat in our rooms for a solid three hours spitting out amazing new ideas for our school! The ideas were never ending! We were brainstorming like never before. Later that night there would be a dance, I also did not know what to expect with this either. To say the least, this was the most fun I had ever had at a dance. There were over 200 people dancing and it was indeed a blast. This was like high school dances on a whole other level.
The third and final day was accompanied with an energy drink, because we needed at least three. We got to hear from Mr. Phil, the Director of LASC, he has been the man behind all this greatness for many decades. He was speaking one last time. He is also a king, we love him! We went through awards, sadly we did not win. But we always have next year. They announced the new district president, as the convention came to a close I realized that LASC now holds a very special place in my heart. Leaving LASC I have learned many things about being a leader and playing my part in leadership. I learned that everyone can be a leader. Now matter your height, weight, gender, race, etc. anyone can be a leader and no one can put a label on you or tell you what you are…it’s up to you my friends!
