This current political season has been fascinating to watch. I really think we are watching history unfold in our time as we see the Republican and Democratic candidates fight it out to win the nominations for their respective parties. But what does this mean for you here at MTHS? Why is any of this important?

I think that the one thing this political season has shown us is the importance of getting involved. And that is my key message for all you here — get involved in our school.

Getting involved in school can take many forms. Obviously, taking the chance to put yourself in a leadership position by running for an ASB or class office is a way that you can make a significant impact on the things that happen here in our school.

I hear quite frequently that ASB seems like it is out of touch and doesn’t represent the things that are important to the student body here (I want to qualify this by saying that I think year in and year out, our ASB works very hard to make our school a great place and to do things that they believe our school community wants).

Well, if that is what you think or feel, then I challenge you do something about it. Take on the challenge of accepting a leadership role and work to make the kind of change you want to see in our school.

But running for ASB or class office is not the only way you can get involved in our school. You can start or join a club. You can go out for a sport. You can audition for a play. You can volunteer to be a Link Leader or a Peer Mentor, providing support for students in our school who might need it.

Any of these experiences are excellent ways to involve yourself positively in our school and make a real difference for our school. In addition to benefiting our school from the experiences and perspectives that each of you can bring to the table, you are better for the experience of putting yourself out there. It takes some courage to do something that you may not have ever done before, but it is worth it. It makes school a better experience for you.

Getting involved and being a leader takes many different forms. Leadership is not always standing up in front of a group. Sometimes the greatest acts of leadership and involvement come from people who just go out and do things—they just go out and get involved. This is what I encourage all of you to consider. Find that thing that you are interested in. Maybe you aren’t sure if you are interested. But be willing to give it a shot. Napoleon Hill, an American author, said, “You must get involved to have an impact. No one is ever impressed with the win-loss record of the referee.” Help make our school a better place by getting involved!

Note: The Hawkeye provides the MTHS Administration space each issue in the Op/Ed section as part of our mission as a designated open public forum.