In the past few weeks at Green Level High School, school clubs like Student Council, FBLA, and DECA (to name a few), have begun. There have been many questions about CTSO and Student Council, so we at The Gator’s Eye set out to clear things up.

CTSOs

During advisory period on September 17th, students learned that it would only be possible to do one CTSO club and that they would have to have certain prerequisite classes for it. Many people have questions about why Green Level instituted this policy regarding some of the most popular clubs.

We interviewed Mr. McDougall, Club Director and FBLA advisor, on why this policy was created. He let us know that the policy was instituted for three main reasons.

One, the CTSO club bylaws require students to be enrolled in certain courses to have active membership in that club. 

Two, there are only a few CTSO teachers to fulfill the student to teacher ratio. Therefore, you can only do one CTSO club even if you may be eligible for more.

Three, the school wants students to invest their entire time into one area so they can do the best in that area. Doing more than one CTSO club may cause you to spread yourself thin and not do as well in those clubs.

At the moment, it is unclear whether or not these policies will remain the same in years to come, as it will depend on a number of factors, including the growth of the staff.

We asked Mr. McDougall about what kind of students were a good fit for CTSO clubs, and he said that as long as you are passionate about your interests and you are connected to your school, you would be a good candidate. You do not have to be a leader or master, as you will have opportunities to grow your skills, and these clubs require different types of people.

As long as you are taking a CTE class, there is a CTSO club available for you. That is why there are as many as six CTSO options.

Student Council

One of the greatest stereotypes about Student Council is that you have to be outgoing, extroverted, and have great people skills, but we interviewed Mr. Simmons, the Sophomore Council club advisor, and found that to be false. 

“Different students have different strengths,” he said, pointing out that Green Level runs on the diversity of students, and “you can optimize your skillset to the betterment of everyone.” As long as you are “interested in developing leadership skills, responsible and prideful in Green Level, and want to help others be successful, you can participate in the club,” Mr. Simmons said. It is the same for Freshman Student Council, as club advisor Mr. Rogers had even said that the club is looking to, “represent the student body with a diverse group.”

When we asked the advisors if shy students could join the club, they both had immediately replied with, “of course,” and “absolutely,” making a point that anyone has the ability to join and contribute to this club. 

One of the most popular clubs at the moment is Sophomore Student Council.

One big question is how to apply: the answer is that the club is solely based off on Connectivity scheduling right now, because we are a new school. There are many people currently on the waiting list.

For those who are involved, Mr. Simmons says that the possibilities of the group will be limitless, for they will “plan activities, school events, and community service opportunities.”

Freshman Student Council is also a new, rising club.

Applying to Freshman Student Council is a little different than Sophomore Student Council. Students interested in leadership positions (i.e. President, Vice President) will give speeches and share their opinion with the general members. General members will vote on who they want to represent the freshman class. 

As of right now the jobs and responsibilities are not finalized, but everybody will have a position whether it be leadership or on some other committee.

The leadership council will start functioning on the first week of October and everyone else that is on a committee will start by mid-October. There will be mandatory Thursday A meetings included two meetings per week for leadership positions, and two a month for general members.

The Freshman Student Council is “looking for student leaders who are innovative, positive, and want to make a change in their community,” Mr. Rogers explained. The Freshman Student Council wants to represent all of the freshman student body.

We hope that we cleared up the rumors and misconceptions about these clubs. If you want any additional information about these clubs please contact the advisor for your club or request another article through The Gator’s Eye “Contact” tab at the bottom of this (and every) page on The Gator’s Eye.