s the weather warmed up, most high school students are taking time out to relax and enjoy their well-earned break-but not Villa Park’s Associated Student Body. With their newly created Leadership Team, the group is hard at work in preparation for yet another unforgettable school year, trying to ensure smooth sailing when students return to campus.

ASB’s summer activities are strategically planned to maximize the potential success of new ideas while retaining treasured traditions on campus.

The Activities Director and ASB Leadership teacher, Mrs. Scott-Sawyer, gives an insight on what this summer will look like for her students: “We use a good amount of summer as an opportunity for our students in ASB and Leadership to meet and get to know each other, in order to build a strong and efficient team. In addition, we use that time to plan and physically begin all the things to start getting ready for the school year. The main focus in summer is to prepare for the fall and all events taking place in the first two or three months of school. Most importantly, we want to ensure that the new students feel welcome.

The freshman orientation is a big program we put on before our students come to campus so that all of our incoming freshmen feel comfortable arriving on the first day.”

For ASB, the fall season includes the busiest months of the school year. ASB President Jimmy Falk gives a rundown on this period: “ASB here means a lot to all of us, since we plan every single event on campus like homecoming, football season, spirit weeks, and sports assemblies. We like to plan anything to boost involvement and make students proud to be a Spartan.

For these big events, we’ll start organizing months ahead to optimize our time management, and come the night before and morning of to set up and get everything together. For fall, we have likewise began brainstorming many exciting ideas for this upcoming year!”

What particularly stands out at this school is the independent nature of students. Almost everything is student-led and student-made. The combined efforts of both students and the community show results in the long run. In 2023, Villa Park won the title of Student Section of the Year, and all credit goes to the dedication of students working purely for the benefit of their peers and community.

<Susie Kim 10th Grade Villa Park High School>