Akron Elementary School placed a time capsule in a section of new construction during a ceremony on Oct. 4, 2017.

In front of the entire student body, student council members stuffed the capsule with several items that were collected. Those items included a map of the old school, old identification badges from staff members, a medical kit, an unused cell phone, a bag of Skittles, a yearbook from the 2016-17 school year, letters written by students, and a letter written by Principal Chrissy Mills. To watch a full video of the ceremony, visit the Akron Elementary School Facebook page.

The Akron Elementary School construction project is scheduled to be complete in December 2017.

Written by Ryan Adams, Akron Elementary School student council co-advisor

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” –John F. Kennedy

Learning and leadership are two key components that Sydnie Reed, co-sponsor of the Akron Elementary School Student Council, and I teach our student council members. Our student council is very active and student driven. Each year, we hold elections and select students in grades 3-5 to represent their peers and assist our school in carrying out various school-wide events.

Events are planned, organized, and ran by our students under the advisement of Ms. Reed and myself. Our fifth-grade students serve as officers. We elect a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, social chairmen, and spirit chairmen. Our officer team oversees meetings and plans all regular meetings. After our council decides on an event, they are in charge of presenting their information to our school principal, Chrissy. Mills, to gain her approval for events. Having the officers meet with Mrs. Mills is a huge part of their leadership development because they must be organized and learn how to communicate effectively, not only with each other, but also with adults.

Student council members also have the opportunity to attend Summer Leadership Camp at Manchester University every summer. This event is put on by the Indiana Association of Student Councils (IASC), which is the governing body of student councils in Indiana. Three of our current officers and one at-large member have already attended Leadership Camp and have brought many necessary skills back to our council, such as team bonding, communication, and event planning. Along with Summer Leadership Camp, we encourage our student council members to attend a Saturday Leadership Workshop every year. Akron Elementary School is planning to host a workshop later this year for IASC.

Additionally, Akron’s student leaders are held to high academic and behavior standards. Students collectively take skills they are taught in the classroom, such as collaborating with one another, and apply them to their leadership roles within student council. It is essential that students can apply both academic and leadership skills so they become successful adults in their chosen careers.

Ms. Reed and I are extremely proud of our student council members and the success they have had the past several years. Many of our past elementary members go on to participate in Tippecanoe Valley Middle School’s student council.  The Akron Elementary School Student Council has been awarded “Honor Council” status by the IASC for the past 20 years, demonstrating that student leadership is a vital part of our school community.

Akron Elementary School Student Council President Gunnar Crispen says it best by stating “Student council has taught me about being a leader and how not to get overwhelmed by problems that are hard.”  At Akron Elementary School, our hope is for all students to learn and value their education while learning how to be effective leaders in our community.

Valley Insight is a recurring monthly article written by administrators on a variety of topics related to education and the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation. Articles will be posted to the district’s website and also shared with the local media.