From Saturday, April 12, to Monday, April 14, Tracy High School’s leadership students Violet Howard and Valentina Cooksey, accompanied by leadership teacher Mr. Chitwood, attended the California Association of Student Leaders (CASL) State Conference.
CASL is a leadership-run event that brings together students from across California for workshops, networking and presentations.
“CASL is essentially a student-run version of Congress, uniting leadership students across California for three days of workshops, presentations and leadership development,” Howard said.
Howard was the sole Tracy High student to give a “Meet the Pros” presentation, a workshop where student leaders share their successful ideas with others from across the state. Howard had a four-hour presentation focused on starting an interclub council at Tracy High and discussed how to build a supportive and energetic environment for student leaders.
“It was so cool getting to represent Tracy High and present about what I’ve done at Tracy High with the interclub
council and how my experience can be applied to other schools,” Howard said.
Cooksey shared that her favorite part was getting to meet other student leaders.
“Being able to collaborate with others and make new friends helped me step out of my comfort zone,” Cooksey said. “I learned a lot about myself as a leader.”
The group brought home the Outstanding Leadership Program Award (OLPA), an award given to only 14 schools in California out of nearly 400 applicants.
“I am really proud of our class for putting together such a strong application,” Howard said. “It shows how much work we have put in this year!”
Mr. Chitwood reflected on what the OLPA recognition meant for Tracy High.
“It is a huge accomplishment. These students represent the best of what leadership looks like at our school,” he said.
Chitwood also described CASL as a “space where students learn how to lead by doing, not just talking.”
To end the weekend, the group spent the day at Great America, getting to ride roller coasters and celebrate all their achievements.
From presenting in workshops to bringing home a statewide award, Howard and Cooksey proved that Tracy High’s leadership program is not just active but extremely impactful. Their hard work, dedication and passion for student leadership left a mark at CASL and brought well-deserved recognition back to the Bulldog campus.
