Ped for Prez, the signs said. Last year the students at Marshfield High School did vote for Ped–more specifically Spencer Pederson. He’s now leading the associated student body leadership team, ASB for short, in the current school year. Joe Herbert is vice president. Other MHS ASB leaders include Tatum Montiel, Robyn Bonner, Mia Schaefer, Alie Clark, Bella Roberts, Siena Beckett, Mayci Hubbard, Karli Kennedy, Morgan Picatti, Devon Pederson, Ava Ainsworth, Karli Kennedy, Morgan Picatti, and Analise McCord.
Jennifer Bunnell, lead adviser of ASB, has been in charge of MHS leadership for 16 years. This year, however, she is co-adviser along with history teacher Ashley Caballero, who once served on ASB as a student at Marshfield.
This year ASB is working to increase the student engagement in school events, including assemblies and sports games. Assembly prepping and planning is a strenuous amount of work. Games have to be well thought-out for their appropriateness, and participants have to be tracked down ahead of time.
“Assemblies take a long time to plan,” said Bunnell. “They come up with different games, they invite different clubs or sports to participate and talk about their different programs. We try to get staff involved as much as possible.”
While not obvious to the standard observer, assemblies take a certain degree of technological capabilities. So much so that there is a specific technology coordinator appointed to the duty, Ava Ainsworth.
“They’ve been doing a video every time, so those have to be shot and edited, put up on screen,” said Bunnell. “The band comes, the cheer team comes, the dance team comes, so that’s a lot to put together.”
Spencer Pederson said that MHS students can help them in their efforts by going to sports games. At a recent volleyball game, spirit was raised through student participation–there was a competition to see who donned the best pirate costume.
“Come to games, have school spirit, and sit in the student sections,” Pederson voiced.
Not only does ASB plan assemblies, but they are behind bigger events like the homecoming dance, spirit week prior to homecoming, and prom in the spring. Each year classrooms decorate their doorways in the homecoming theme, and the competition for class donuts is cutthroat. During spirit week, students are encouraged to dress up according to the different themes each day throughout the week, such as Mardi Gras or Crocs day.
Aside from assemblies and spirit weeks, the students in ASB represent the goals and interests of MHS, and oversee clubs. Their goal is to be the voice of the students and help create a positive school culture through leadership.
“ASB is about getting involved in our school and getting out there, making school a fun environment,” Morgan Picatti explained.
Student body is not just an extracurricular activity–it is an elective class at MHS that meets four times a week. There’s also a student leadership class for freshmen and sophomores wanting to join ASB. This class teaches future leaders other skills they need, such as public speaking. A student wanting to be involved in ASB would have to be elected into an office position by the students. Other ways to work with ASB, aside from being voted in, include becoming a head club officer, or just getting involved in all school activities.
I want to leave a legacy of an ASB that is willing to put in the work to make activities better,” said Pederson. “A president willing to be uncomfortable with participation.”
