Building new leaders: Harris hosts student councils

Harris Middle School students take a break from the Tennessee Association of Student Council Middle Level Middle Tennessee conference, which was held at Harris on Friday. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Anyone walking into the Harris Middle School gymnasium Friday would have thought they were walking into a pep rally, as students cheered loudly while watching a few students -- brave souls -- dance in the center of the gym to "Eye of the Tiger."

No one was being crowned homecoming queen. It wasn't a state championship basketball game or a pep rally.

Rather, it was a meeting of Tennessee Association of Student Councils middle level members ... and the energy was high.

About 500 students, representing 18 schools in Middle Tennessee, attended the conference, with about 60 members representing the host school.

"Workshops like these have a huge number of kids from all over Tennessee," said Alexi Gordon, a seventh grader at Harris Middle School who serves as its representative on the association's board. "Today we've done a lot of fun activities and we've learned about how to become leaders ... We (different schools' student councils) get together and share ideas about leadership and motivation."

Becoming leaders is what the student council workshop was all about. It was Harris Middle's first time hosting the conference, although Central has hosted similar conferences in the past for high school level student council members.

The day was filled with various leadership-building activities and guest speakers that "make a difference for all the kids who go through this experience," said Miriam Pietkiewicz, advisor for Central High's members.

Pietkiewicz has seen the benefits of student council first-hand. Her daughter received a college scholarship based on her experiences with the student council.

Cindy Ferriola-Hayes is the student advisor for Harris Middle's students, and she also believes in the benefits of student council.

"I enjoy working with the kids and seeing them open up and grow," she said. "It's fun to see so many kids get together and interact and become leaders, while having fun at the same time."

Following a break, where brave souls entertained the less brave with their dance routines, the 500 students gathered in the school's auditorium for a guest speaker.

Because she's Harris representative on the Tennessee Student Council Executive Board, it was Alexi Gordon's responsibility to introduce the guest speaker -- in front of 500 fellow middle school students.

Nervous?

"No, not really," she said. "Sometimes I get a little nervous before, but not too much."