STUDENTS SEEK INVOLVEMENT AS A BIG KEY TO SUCCESS

To think that there is not a troubled teen among the 1,033 students at Jackson High School this fall is unrealistic. To think that the majority of the students is maladjusted, isolated or selfish, however, would be just as ludicrous.

According to a dozen JHS student leaders who met with the USA Signal recently, the vast majority of Jackson students have found a comfortable niche by their senior year. Involvement in clubs, organizations and sports, they feel, plays an important roll in helping students fit in.

"I think Jackson students' involvement in the clubs is what makes the school so great," said Abby Grossheider, president of National Honor Society. "It gives us a cohesiveness, it gets our names out in the community and it helps our community."

From art to agriculture and from dance to dribbling, Jackson High School has a wide range of activities for students.

"In the variety of clubs we have at Jackson, we have something for everybody," Grossheider said.

"The short-term goal for most of us here is just to make the most of our high school time," said Josh Pfefferkorn, local and state president of the Future Business Leaders of America. "Getting involved is the best way to do that. Being a senior, I have done so much more this year -- even though I was active as a sophomore and junior. This year has been by far the best year -- probably of my life --just because of the activities you have at school and your friends and that whole bit."

"I think clubs in general bring people closer together," said Wendy Blankenship, Team Spirit leader. "You meet new people and new friends."

Jackson students tend to be fiercely loyal not only to their school, but to their individual clubs and organizations. Students working on projects late into the evening is nothing uncommon on the JHS campus.

Student Council President Jeni Zinner reflected on the situation she and other upperclassmen find themselves in.

"How many of you guys honestly thought, going through junior high, that you'd be staying at school till like 6, sometimes 8 at night to do club work and stuff like that?" she asked.

"But we willingly do it," noted Tim Nicolai, president of Drama Club. "We don't stay in our clubs because we have to. We do it because we love our clubs."

"I think being involved in clubs is good," said Marci Myracle, president of Peer Tutors. "It gets you involved in knowing other people. It also gets us involved in the community and helps us develop leadership skills."

This year each of the three classes has its own Pep Club. The three classes compete in spirit-related contests, for the right to have an extended lunch period.

"That's one of the biggest things I've noticed in my two and a half years here," said Julie Gerecke, French Club president. "My sophomore year there wasn't a lot to do in Pep Club. Throughout the last three years it has grown so much. The availability to get involved in school now is so much greater than it had been."

"It's helped a lot, having the different grades competing against each other for the extended lunch," said Laura Horst, president of Hi-Step.

The boosted camaraderie of the Pep Clubs has also boosted overall school spirit.

"I think the school spirit and student involvement has improved," Myracle said. "It helps make high school more fun."

"I think we have really good team spirit," Blankenship said. "Our classes are really close."

"I'm very excited about my class in general, even after we graduate," Zinner said. "I was thinking the other day 'I hope when I come back to a class reunion, I'll be able to see some of my class mates and see some of the amazing things they've done and think 'Wow, I knew them way back when.' There's great potential in our class."

"I think we have good students at Jackson who care about the well-being of other students and try to encourage them," Grossheider said.

The students were quick to spread praise around.

"I'm really excited about our NHS president, Abby (Grossheider)," Zinner said. "She's really working hard to make a difference and get NHS involved this year. It's usually sort of a club that sits in the background."

"NHS is supposed to be the elite of school," Grossheider said, "so I think it's important that NHS does have some say and some student involvement in what happens with everybody at Jackson."

"I think Jeni and Kerry (Gordon, StuCo vice president) have been working really hard to increase student involvement in pep club and stuff like that, which was one of their goals," Martin said.

Of course, with participation in extracurricular activities, in addition to school work and jobs, comes the inevitable conflict in time. Some students find themselves spread quite thin.

"Being a part of a club or an organization has its duties. It's a tight balancing act between everything you want to do and everything you have to do and need to do," said Amanda Crouch, president of the Quill & Scroll Club. "You just have to walk a fine line and balance everything -- your schoolwork, all your sports, with sleep somewhere in there. Sometimes it's stressful. That's why we do it -- because we like to be part of our school."

"I think everyone here holds a leadership position in their club. I think that says a lot for the dedication we have," Bono said. "Some people here are saying they can represent more thatn one club. That's just so awesome that they can balance their time enough to be leaders not only in one club, but in the school and community and everything else."

"I think everybody's involvement in so many different things really teaches us more important skills than just how to read and write while I'm in high school," Grossheider said. "It teaches us how to manage stress, how to manage time. It teaches us how we can talk to others and communicate, who to talk to when you need something done."

No one, naturally, is forcing student to take part in clubs and organizations -- or sports either, for that matter. Each student must decide whether or not to become involved in campus life, and to what degree.

"It's really refreshing that students are given the choice," Pfefferkorn said. "They can take as much out of high school as they want. So many students are choosing to get involved with not just one club, but often five, six, seven clubs, as well as taking the hard classes and making the most out of high school."

"I think what Josh is talking about is completely right," Myracle agreed, "because we have so many clubs to choose from. everybody can get involved in something. There's something out there for everybody in the school."

Helping to make that possible are the faculty members who donate their time as club sponsors. The uncompensated hours sponsors or advisers put in help the students take the maximum benefits from each organization.

"I think the sponsors for all the clubs do tremendous jobs," Nicolai said. "Their clubs aren't secondary to them; they spend hours and hours to make the club a good experience for the students. I think we should really be proud of all of our teachers who work with the clubs."

The 12 organization leaders are sold on club participation. Most have gone to camps, retreats, seminars and district and state meetings. All have brought back new ideas and enthusiasm with them.

"When you go to leadership camps, you get so much responsibility and organization skills for every day life," said Greg Meier, Future Farmers of America president.

"I think the clubs not only help you learn teamwork skills," said Laura Horst, president of Hi-Step, "they also help you cooperate well with others, which is a very good life lesson."