ASB dOeS nOtHiNg

By Hanna SkikneFar too often, students claim that ASB does “nothing,” and is, in essence, a pointless entity. I, Hanna Skikne, a proud member of ASB, am here to respond.School may start in August, but for ASB, our year starts the minute summer begins. We meet multiple times and begin planning all of our events in advance, as each one takes hours of meticulous planning and preparation. Following those days, we come to school again to help with registration and orientation, in hopes of making the process as seamless as possible for students and parents. And while many of you spent your last day of summer this year making memories, I spent the day, which also happened to be my birthday, at Samo, decorating and prepping for the new year. After school officially starts, we are constantly spending weekends, mornings, class and lunch periods going the extra mile for our student body. But despite what you think, we wouldn’t have it any other way. We show up to each event with a smile on our face, fully aware that this is what we gladly signed up for. We choose to make many sacrifices, driven by the hope that we might build school spirit, community and happiness amongst our peers. We are a group who strives to embrace the diverse individuals at Samo; so when walk down three flights of daunting innovation stairs, and only see “Emo kids” we’re glad students feel comfortable to be themselves.Now, in case you didn’t know, we take care of the following: dances, rallies, carnivals, club days, club row, club everything, blood drives, heritage month events, spirit weeks, dodgeball tournaments, Winter Festivals, parent school tours, fundraisers, staff appreciation, 3 on 3 basketball tournaments, event publicity, class events, class steerings, student outreach and celebrations. We don’t run, but heavily support the following: Registration, Freshman orientation, Back to School Night, Senior Night, College Fair, College Festival, Samo Experience, Open House, House events, athletic half times and Career Day. We liaise with the district, administration and staff. We do everything it takes to spread school spirit, like decorating the school or handing out goodies in the morning when students arrive. Most importantly, we manage the ENTIRE STUDENT BUDGET for Samo. You know - light work. But there is still one issue ASB can’t take care of on its own: your desire (or serious lack thereof) to participate in what we offer. 1) Many don’t want to dress out for spirit weeks. Should we stop having them then? 2) Many don’t want a dance at the beginning of the year. Should we stop planning it then? 3) Many don’t want to know what’s happening around campus. Should we stop reading the announcements, going to homerooms, or publicizing events then? Despite all of the hard work we put in, ASB steadily receives negative comments that make working on behalf of students demoralizing and frustrating. Because truthfully, until you’re in ASB, you have no idea how much time goes into planning anything. The amount of behind-the-scenes work we put in would frighten you. ASB is at its core an association “for the students, by the students.” When something needs to be accomplished, teachers, administration, student groups, etc. all come for help. And ASB always obliges, and will continue to do so. Yet, the moment something goes wrong, or is not up to someone’s liking, ASB is immediately the scapegoat. How can this relationship between us and the school result in anything but mutual resentment? So with that I would like to propose a question: What do you, the students of Santa Monica High School, truly want? In that spirit,  I implore you to come talk to us - come to B100 anytime or speak with your homeroom ASB representative. Start telling ASB what you do want rather than what you don’t. Each member of ASB is more than willing to work with you. After every long, busy day, whether it be a pep rally or carnival day, my ASB peers are all filled with pride for the immense amount of effort expended. It would just be nice if the rest of the school felt that way too.The simple truth is, if ASB were to end today, the school would go on. Our campus is too big and too diverse to simply be defined or run by any one group.  However, we are representatives for whom you voted, democratically. Being a part of ASB is a choice, and motives differ from person to person. However, what we hold in common is a passion for leadership. Many of us even put in time outside of school to further those leadership skills through internships and other opportunities. But even if some of us had our transcripts in mind when joining, so what? We’re not all Ivy League legacies. And, I genuinely love being a part of ASB. In no way am I complaining about the hours of work my classmates and I put into each event. I’m simply asking for a change in the culture that disregards the intent of ASB — which is truly to make high school a great experience for all of us. So let’s work together to make Samo all that we know it can be. Who’s in?