“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Our names are Remy Corbin and Kellen Bynes, and we are San Marcos High School’s first-ever ASB Co-Presidents! Becoming co-presidents has been a special experience that has taught us many valuable lessons we wanted to share with you all.
We have worked closely together in ASB since our sophomore year and soon realized that we had a similar work ethic, intentions for the ASB Program, and complimentary leadership styles that ultimately led us to pitch our idea of co-presidents to our ASB directors and administration. Because our ASB program was growing in size (now being around 160 ASB students), we found that a co-presidency could be more effective in leading, managing, and facilitating our program. After gaining support from our ASB directors and administration, we entered the 2021-2022 school year with lengthy to-do lists and a vision for how we wanted to advance our program. In carrying out our shared vision for our school, we have had our fair share of laughs, sighs of exhaustion, and sarcastic comments towards one another. In the ebbs and flows of leading a school we care so deeply for, it has been special to share the journey where we both understand the weight of the challenging moments and the amazing, celebratory moments.
One of our main goals was to create a welcoming and inclusive campus environment for all students. Specifically, after an exhausting year of virtual schooling during the pandemic, we understood the importance of listening to our student body and meeting them where they are at in what we do as a program. In effort to build trust with our student body and re-establish a sense of community, we found the importance of making our students feel celebrated on a regular basis without asking anything in return. In ASB, we call these our “gives”. This was a concept we learned from the amazing Scott Backovich in a training we had attended over the summer. One of our jobs as co-presidents was to ensure we were incorporating “gives” as frequently as possible. We have found our “gives” to the student body have established a more inclusive campus environment where students feel seen and appreciated by our ASB program.
In this process of giving back to our campus, we have learned many valuable lessons. The first lesson being the value of seeking student feedback. Specifically, really listening to that feedback and taking the steps needed to make the suggested change. Involving students in the process of implementing change on campus has been crucial in keeping them engaged in the activities and events we put on. We’ve found success in seeking student voice through our social media accounts, our ASB Website, as well as a physical “ASB Wishing-Well” where the SMHS student body can anonymously drop in notes of feedback for our program. We’ve learned that building trust with our entire student body is a long and difficult process. In our persistence, however, we have found a more inclusive campus environment emerging where various student demographics who were previously unengaged are now joining us in our school-wide events.
With both a student population of 3,800 and an ambitious vision, we quickly learned the importance of utilizing our entire team of leaders. We’ve prioritized highlighting the strengths of each leader and instilling confidence in them to help cultivate a positive campus environment. This encouragement goes beyond the classroom as we have also provided various opportunities for students interested in honing in on their leadership skills through leadership conferences, presentations to the community, and growing their passion projects.
As we approach the end of this school year, we’re excited to empower the individuals who will be carrying out their own visions for the 2022-2023 school year. This bittersweet “passing-of-the-torch” prompts us to finish off the year strong by discovering how we can best encourage leading with empathy, integrity and a greater global perspective. We hope our co-presidency, and the work we’ve done at San Marcos High School, can serve as an example for future leaders of teamwork built on a shared vision, trust, and a whole lot of respect and admiration for one another.
