March 4th-6th, Oakmont Regional High School’s Student Council attended the annual Massachusetts Association of Student Council conference in Hyannis. This highly energetic conference consisted of bustling workshops, wise keynote speakers, intense lip-sync competitions, and over one thousand StuCo students in Massachusetts with over-the-top energy.
Picture this: It’s March 4th, the day everybody in the Student Council has been waiting for: the day we depart for MASC. For most of us, this won’t be our first time visiting the conference. We will see many familiar faces, many familiar songs, like Timber, which they blast at 8 AM, and we all dance to it every day, and the same familiar hotel, in which we stay every year.
The special thing about this year is that this will be the last year MASC will be hosted in this resort. Our advisor, Mr. Daniel Dufour, shares his perspective on this: “After 49 years, MASC will no longer be hosted at the Emerald Resort in Hyannis. As an advisor who has been going to MASC for 18 years, I’ve gotten so familiar with this resort. The halls, the rooms, everything. It will be a large adjustment for me and all of the other advisors and kids to adapt to this new resort. This place has truly become a home for us.”
We depart at 6:45 AM. We load up onto the bus, blast music, sleep, dance, sing, and have the time of our lives. After two and a half hours, we arrive in Hyannis at the conference. Music, photos, and yelling were what we were greeted with. The theme of the conference is Rising to the Peak of Leadership, a Greek mythology theme based on Mount Olympus. A very creative and original theme.
We settled in and quickly had to get ready for the Polar Plunge. The Polar Plunge is where everybody in the conference dresses up and can run into the freezing cold ocean. This is all to raise money for the Special Olympics, in which Oakmont was recognized for raising a great amount of money! We dressed up as historical figures, such as the Founding Fathers, biblical figures like Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, and various other figures like Johnny Appleseed and Amelia Earhart.
After the plunge, the council helped our candidate, Emma Goodwin, campaign for the position of state Secretary. Goodwin’s campaign was based around journalism, which was wonderfully put together by her and her campaign manager and best friend, Jocelyn Cleaves.
“Running for the position of Secretary on the state board was one of the most challenging experiences of my life. It pushed me to talk to people from all over the state, allowing me to build valuable bonds,” stated Goodwin. Goodwin did a fabulous job campaigning, showing her dedication to leadership and professionalism.
We had a fun time plunging, and then the rest of the day consisted of workshops, keynote speakers, and the ultimate lip-sync battle. We practiced a lot this year for the lip-sync battle. Our theme was 2016, a very popular trend this year. We walked out onto the stage as elders, with canes, muumuus, and grey wigs. After the first song, we dramatically ripped off our old-person clothes and transformed into our 2016 outfits.
Everybody was shocked. This lip-sync featured Arden Rosbury doing crazy tricks, Rachel O’Neil up on people’s shoulders, and amazing choreography by Ryan Rollo, Chloe Kruse, and Sofi Davidson. We ended up getting third, another year on the podium. We are so proud of our performance.
Day two, we had many more sessions, three more workshops, candidate speeches for the next state board election, and another keynote speech. The funny thing about these two keynote speakers at this year’s conference was that they both danced for us! Very entertaining and very insightful.
This night was the banquet. Students dressed up formally, in either green, white, or black, to represent Oakmont, ate some good food, and watched the award ceremony. The Oakmont Student Council received many awards, including the Top Ten Project Award and Gold Council of Excellence, receiving 50/50 points once again!
Later that night was a very fun dance. The dance was definitely a key highlight of the trip for many of us. The intensity, loudness, and flashing lights added to the experience. This year specifically, Oakmont had a BLAST at the dance, proving that we are not only super dedicated and respectful leaders, but that we also can have fun!
Day three, a bittersweet day for many. Election results were announced, and we were getting ready to leave. This trip, first for many, held many memories that will stick with us.
I asked senior Rachel O’Neil for her experience with MASC, as she has been to all four conferences. She said, “MASC truly is a privilege; the moments people tell you that you are going to look back on are the entire conference itself. Going all 4 years of high school every year seemed to amaze me, the energy in the room, the familiar faces, but most importantly, the growth around me. MASC is something I wish everyone could experience, not because it helps build a characteristic many don’t have, but because it brings out the best in so many people.”
Now, for my personal experience. Being the president of the Student Council is so much more than just a title. Seeing everything we have done for the school get recognized and seeing everybody on the council connect is so honoring. In the Oakmont Student Council, we build a family. In our council, we have all types of students from all different cliques, activities, and backgrounds, but we all share one thing: our love for leadership. Over these three days, our tight-knit council truly shows, as many of us notice how we are one of the councils with the closest bonds within.
After three years of MASC, it comes to an end for all of the seniors, and me. These conferences are some of the highlights of my years. I can’t wait to see what the council accomplishes in these next years and hope all of the underclassmen experience the growth MASC has brought to the seniors. I would like to share a quote from one of my favorite childhood shows, which is directed towards the underclassmen on the council: “Enjoy it, it feels like a party every day.”
