While most students are sleeping in on Wednesday mornings, Student Council meets in Mr. Steven’s room to work for the good of the school. This year’s co-presidents are seniors Ben Mackey and Matt Lee. There have been several meetings so far this school year. The meetings provide opportunities for Student Council to plan for upcoming activities. Members can also bring up for discussion issues and problems that they or other students have experienced. “We feel that the purpose of Student Council is to provide a connection between the administration and the students,” Lee said. The first meeting featured a question-and-answer session with Mr. McGrory that covered such topics as the new grading system and the new cell phone policy. The principal pays occasional visits to Student Council meeting throughout the year to get student input on issues or to keep members updated on recent or future school policies. The co-presidents also have weekly meetings with him. At the first meeting, there were quite a few familiar faces as well as a few new ones. “We were pleased with the turnout,” Lee said. “The presence of only one freshman was disappointing. There were some sophomores though, which was good.” Fortunately, the number of freshman members had doubled to two by the second meeting. Mackey and Lee hope the trend will continue. They plan to encourage the involvement of underclassmen in Student Council. Lee wants to assure students who are apprehensive about joining Student Council that it is fun. “We have good discussions, and it’s definitely a great way to get involved in school policies and activities.” “We’ll keep it fresh, fun, and full of doughnuts,” Mackey added. Some of the co-presidents’ goals for Student Council this year include supporting the Abana Banji run (a fundraiser for the Africa Project), deciding on a school rival, and perhaps carrying out a senior project. They also plan on beautifying the school by adding more murals, both in hallways and in bathrooms. In addition, students should expect new issues of the Stall Street Journal to appear soon, featuring original artwork by Mackey himself. The co-presidents are optimistic about the year and what Student Council will be able to accomplish. “We will take Ames High to new and better heights, to where we’ve never been before,” Lee said.