Community council has long been a forum for students to affect change in the Hackley community by creating enjoyable events for students, all while fostering a strong sense of school spirit. Yet, very few people know what occurs in the Monday night meetings or know how the system functions.

“In general it’s a group of people that are very dedicated towards trying to find fun things for people to do.”, said student body president Daniel Cai.
“People on the council are very motivated by the prospect of making other people happy, and I think being in that sort of work environment is very positive,” said sophomore Mac Broaddus. Mac also emphasized the sense of camaraderie and being part of a close-knit community with good advisors. Mac also commented that “One of the most rewarding aspects of being on council is helping others.”

This year, community council leadership meets in person every Monday evening, as opposed to last year, when they had to meet on Zoom due to COVID protocols.

However, beyond the regular Monday night meetings, the leadership roles meet informally many times throughout the week, and grade representatives also are required to meet during the week “So, the average is two meetings a week required, but some people do three.” Cai said, “Although it’s not officially stated that you have to commit this extra time, the norm is to commit it and I think that collectively adds up to be a decently big time commitment.”

Although being a part of the council is a significant time commitment, to the members, being part of the community and participating in the meetings is worth the time spent. “The time commitment is definitely manageable and the leaders of council are always willing to help when things become too much to handle. I feel that the time that I spend on and for council is definitely worth the sacrifice as it helps me have a voice for my class and other grades and also allows me to plan things that create a happier student body. It’s definitely a rewarding experience.” said sophomore EJ Regalado.

Throughout this year, the Community Council has planned countless events for the Hackley student body to enjoy. Events such as parking raffles, glowball, turkey grams, kahoots, baking competitions, and many more have been organized by the council this year.

Hackley’s student body can ask questions, give recommendations, provide input, and become involved with council ideas. Daniel mentioned that students should feel comfortable reaching out to council members in-person to make suggestions, whether that be grade-wide reps or senior members. Daniel also said that although a student has never taken advantage of the offer, students are always welcome to show up to meetings. “You’re technically allowed to do that and you’re free to come and voice your concerns and actually participate in doing council stuff as well as a non-council member,” said Cai.

“We’re always looking for people to come to us with their ideas, questions, comments or concerns, and ways to make change,” said Regalado.

Being a member of the council means planning and participating in the fun activities they organize. “I think the trivia tournament last year was really fun, I really enjoyed doing that, and… looking at it from both sides as a planner and also as someone who participated I thought it was really cool,” Cai said.