After a week of honing their leadership skills at the Association of Washington Student Leaders’ (AWSL) annual summer camp, Edmonds School District high school students are ready to bring what they learned back to their schools.
Every year, more than 3,000 middle school and high school student leaders participate in one of the many leadership camps across the state offered by the AWSL. For students, the camps are an opportunity to learn skills like communication, teamwork, problem solving and decision making.
Specialty camps are offered for Spanish-speaking and deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students, as well as a Native American leadership camp. Cheerleading leadership camps are also offered.
“We call it our ‘be nice’ training,” said AWSL program director Joe Fenbert. “Students get trained and we send them back to their schools to be nice to others.”
Attending the leadership camp during that took place July 6-11 at the Cispus Learning Center in Randle were four Associated Student Body (ASB) presidents from Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, Edmonds-Woodway and Meadowdale High Schools. Lynnwood High ASB President David Nelson-Leang said he was glad for the chance to work with a student from Lynnwood’s rival school, Mountlake Terrace.
“Camp empowered us to better to understand each other so we can establish a friendly school rivalry,” he said. “My ASB and I can’t wait to work with them and the rest of the Edmonds School District high schools on events, fundraisers and many other things.”
Meadowdale High ASB President Luke Hunnewell said he was inspired by quotes he learned while attending the leadership camp — “know your worth and add tax” and “you’re the only you who has ever you’d before.”
This is the third year that Mountlake Terrace High ASB President Ciara Laney has attended the leadership camp. Each year, Laney said she learns something new.
“The connections and relationships I made at camp helped me to feel prepared and excited for my fourth and final year on MTHS ASB,” she said.
For more information about the AWSL leadership camps, visit the AWSL website.
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