Fostering youth leadership: the MJHS student council formula

MARSHALL, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) — In a world where things seem to change faster than ever, it can seem almost impossible for parents and teachers to understand life the way today’s youth experience it. Despite this difficulty, the student council sponsors at Marshall Junior High School (MJHS) have developed a program that wins state-level awards year after year. How do they do it? How do they continually bring new students into the program, earn their trust, and get them to buy in and give their best?

Jasmine Johnson and Krissy Tatum serve as advisors to the MJHS student council (STUCO), which has been recognized as an outstanding student council in Texas for 17 consecutive years. The Student Council is a group of students, both elected and volunteer, who work with advisors to promote citizenship, leadership, scholarship, cultural values, and human relations. When asked about their ongoing success, they could not help but share a laugh.

Parents frequently ask educators how to prevent the dreaded “summer slump,” the tendency for students to regress over the summer break. As teachers and parents, Mrs. Tatum and Ms. Johnson have ideas on how to handle that.

One of the biggest issues people have with the younger generations is how quickly things change. From slang to technology, the world moves at a pace that is hard to keep track of. Part of their success comes from fostering relationships with their students, as Ms. Johnson explains, “We talk to them, and because we talk to them, they talk to us.”

In addition to MJHS being recognized as an outstanding student council for 17 consecutive years, Ms. Johnson was awarded the Texas Association of Student Councils (TASC) Middle School Eddie G. Bull State Advisor of the Year in 2017, an award advisors are only eligible to win once. She and Mrs. Tatum have advice for administrators who desire to build their own STUCO program.

Ms. Johnson refers to her students as “my babies”. Part of the success she and Mrs. Tatum have found comes from that mindset. They are committed to treating students like their own and leading with love.

Visit the TASC website for information on student council in Texas or LASC for information on student council in Louisiana.