Walking towards the brand new Duxbury High School, I almost regretted my decision to go on the Student Council field trip, SEMASC (Southeastern Massachusetts Association of Student Councils). There were students standing on benches and singing with excitement, yet it was only 8 A.M. Upon coming closer to them, they began chanting for Hingham High’s StuCo and forming a tunnel with their arms, as we went into the school.

Duxbury High, built only last year, made quite the impression. Walking in to the three story building, we saw groups upon groups of people wearing matching shirts and pants and evidence of school spirit throughout the school. As the festivities began, we learned the plan for the day while in the auditorium. They had elections for the next year’s SEMASC president, a keynote speaker, lunch, and leadership seminars. After hearing speeches from peers I did not know, we performed a number of so¬ called “energizers”. Basically we were told to dance and sing, mimicking the people on stage. Although this may sound fun, once they had us do our fifth or sixth energizer, most of us felt done with the activity.

Next was the keynote speaker, Jessie Funk. Jessie was amazing–flawed, yet amazing. She began with a cover of Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk, and then dove into a series of anecdotes and lessons about the importance of believing in yourself. She told us that we have to “fake it till you make it” until the fake confidence becomes real. Although at first I thought her idea was strange and weird, it is true; convincing others of your confidence is one step closer to convincing yourself of it as well. Soon after, she skipped to a story about herself which included racial slurs and stereotypes about valley girls, Southerners, Bostonians, and Indians, attempting to make us laugh, but it set me off guard, as she did not seem like that type of person. She was inspirational but sent conflicting messages. I do think she spoke and meant well, but her ideas were muddled together and she needed a more concise thesis within her inspirational speech. After singing another cover, this time of Beyoncé’s I Was Here, we separated into classrooms and went into leadership workshops.

Led by students, the workshops were relevant, and all of the attendees that I talked to seemed to enjoy them. In the one I attended, we spoke about the importance of teamwork in decision making and valuing people’s assets, regardless of whether you agree or not. It helped me to realize how we are all capable of leading people toward greatness.

Overall, the conference went well, but I won’t be going back. I think it was an experience I needed to have, but the people were too peppy, and I felt that Student Council was not something that needed to be taken so extremely seriously.

I believe that the skills I learned at the leadership conference will be used in all aspects of my life, rather than just within Student Council.