Student Ambassadors: Making Hamilton a Better Place
Photo submitted by Hamilton Student Ambassadors
Emersen Cwiklinski
Among all the clubs offered at Hamilton, Student Ambassadors is designed to help new students in the district and freshmen acclimate to a new school environment. The club is a great opportunity to meet new people and share school spirit with new students. The club hosts events throughout the summer and start of the school year, creating a welcoming environment to kickstart the upcoming year. A few members and executives provided some thought to the importance of the club and what the mission of the club is!
Creator of Student Ambassadors
“What was your reasoning behind creating Student Ambassadors?”
I asked Kate Powell, one of the original creators of Student Ambassadors, this to learn more. She created the club in AP Lang for a service project. She explained how when she was a sophomore, a new student had transferred to Hamilton in the middle of the school year. Powell said, “I remember seeing her on her first day. She looked very nervous, and I remember thinking how nervous I would have been if I was in her shoes—a new school, all new faces, new hallways, new teachers and classes, and everyone around you seems to fit in and have a place.” Powell put herself into the new student's shoes and helped her around the school. The new student had no orientation or any familiarity with the school, and Powell said she “knew that Hamilton could do better for transfer students.” She said that experience is what motivated her to start the Student Ambassadors program with the help of two friends of hers, Sarah Kidd and Kayla Olson. Powell concluded, “This class project beautifully blossomed into a club that is still being run at Hamilton a few years after we have all graduated and moved to college.”
“What did you hope to see come from this club?”
She was motivated by her experience with new students and saw how anxious they were. She said, “My goal for creating Student Ambassadors was to make Hamilton a more welcoming place for new students. Moving to a different high school is hard enough—we should invite new students with welcome arms and make their transition as easy as we possibly can.” She proceeded to talk about how community was important to her and that by creating a safe place for students with Student Ambassadors, the community would benefit as well. Student Ambassadors Club has received lots of positive feedback from new students, existing Hamilton students, and faculty. Powell follows with, “The friendships built as a result of this program were the ultimate goal, and I am proud to watch as the hard work and leadership of the Student Ambassador team continues to foster these connections.”
Club Advisors
“What is your favorite part of being a club advisor?”
Along with asking the student creators of the club, we also asked the advisors who took on the responsibility of being adult leaders for the club. Mrs. Hasbrook and Mrs. Rigg are the advisors for Student Ambassadors. Hasbrook and Rigg are counselors at Hamilton and help students with scheduling, future planning, and any other help students may need. Hasbrook said her favorite part of Student Ambassadors is the “great energy.” Student Ambassadors is a club that not only is helpful but also super fun, so the great energy attests to that. Hasbrook also said that the club is full of “great students” which is also true! Rigg also agreed with the club’s importance as to why she decided to be an advisor. Rigg said that she “was looking to find new ways to connect with students in a positive setting outside of my office.” She also described the members of Student Ambassadors to be “outgoing, kind, and always willing to support their peers.” These qualities are ultimately what creates the positive environment of the club. Rigg concludes by saying how much she enjoys the large group and executive meetings where she gets to interact with members of the club and how “it’s truly rewarding to witness [members’] growth and commitment.”
“What influenced you to be a part of the club as an adult leader?”
Hasbrook said that she wanted to lead Student Ambassadors because she wanted to help a group of seniors for their AP lang project. As mentioned earlier with interviewee Kate, Hasbrook and Rigg also helped the club’s foundation by stepping up as adult leaders. Hasbrook also said that the club “builds school community and welcomes new kids.” The mission of the club is to do exactly that. Rigg also added to why she wanted to help with the club. She talked about her favorite part of the club, which she said was organizing the annual Freshman Welcome Day. “Every year, I’m amazed by how seamlessly the event comes together and by the excitement and energy of our incoming freshmen. Planning begins in May, and our club dedicates a lot of time behind the scenes to ensure that every detail is handled. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the positive impact this day has on the new students,” Rigg explains. The Freshman Welcome Day is a highlight of the club and what helps freshmen get used to the school. By helping the freshmen students as an adult leader, she said she gets the chance to build connections with students and help them develop essential soft skills like public speaking, active listening, and collaboration.
Executive and General Members
“What are your roles as an executive member?”
We asked this to learn more about the executive members of the club. Along with advisors who help lead the club, the executive board also takes on a lot of responsibility. Currently, there is a president, a vice president, and three general board members. These five members are very important to the success of the club. Leyten Flood, a general executive member, explains that “as a member of the exec board, you are responsible for attending periodic meetings with Mrs. Hasbrook and Mrs. Rigg… we also run Motivational Mondays where we make announcements and ask trivia questions.” When you hear trivia music and the advisement questions asked on Mondays, that’s Student Ambassadors! Student Ambassadors Club helps share positivity and engages the school, so having weekly announcements enforces that. Along with Leyten, Natalie Olson is the president of Student Ambassadors. She has to take on a lot of responsibility to help the club run smoothly. She said that decisions are made as a team, but there are specific roles that each member has. She goes into detail and describes, “The role of the President is mainly to run the meetings, and since the president has already been in the club for several years, they make the final decisions on changes. The vice president prepares to take over as president automatically. Usually, the task of communicating with the club is given to one of the general members. This board member is in charge of social media and sending out remind messages. The other two board members focus on getting permission, materials, and schedules for both Match Day and the Freshman Picnic.” It is very apparent that as a member of the executive board, there are many duties, but they are evenly spread to create a fun and successful environment.
What is your favorite memory of the club?
This was asked of both executive and general members of Student Ambassadors. All of the responses had the same answer: the Freshmen Welcome Day! Freshmen Welcome Day is an event at the end of the summer where incoming Freshmen come to the school and meet in the homeroom advisement to meet other classmates and ask questions to Student Ambassadors about what high school is like. Following that, there are different activities to get familiar with the school, such as a scavenger hunt. The Freshmen Welcome Day ends with a pep rally where sports and clubs at Hamilton can promote themselves and engage the Freshmen! Maddie Palicka and Angelika Bourke are two general members of the club, and both of them said that their favorite memory was Freshmen Welcome Day because it was fun to “teach” the freshmen about school and for them to have a figure to look up to. Leyten Flood and Natalie Olson mentioned that the Freshmen Welcome Day was also their favorite because of the pep rally and the clubs/sports that came to support. Olson includes that “the event ran smoothly and multiple kids said that they enjoyed the event more than they thought they would—which was the goal!”
“What caused you to join Student Ambassadors?”
The members had very similar answers. They wanted to help the school and the community. Maddie Palicka said that she joined the club because she wanted to be more involved in the school community and be able to help new students feel comfortable. It is important to her to help new students, and being a part of Student Ambassadors does exactly that. Natalie Olson brought in her family when asked why she joined. Natalie’s sister is Kayla Olson, one of the founders of the club. Olson said, “I joined the club because of my sister. She was one of the club's founders, so I listened as she and her friends eagerly made plans for helping new students get acclimated to the building.” Hearing about her sister and friends planning the club, Natalie knew she wanted to get involved with the club too! An additional perspective of the club came from Angelika Bourke. Bourke has moved schools often and provided a unique experience to this aspect. She said, “I wanted to join the club because, as someone who has moved a lot, I myself would have really liked a club like this that helps new students feel more welcome and get eased into the new environment.” Many new students feel anxious and alone when going to a new school and having more clubs like Student Ambassadors would ease those negative feelings.
“What would you say to a new student entering Hamilton?”
Leyten Flood responded, “I always try to get to know them and tell them a little about myself as well… I often just let them know that if they need anything, they can come to me or any other Student Ambassador. We're here to make their transition into Hamilton as easy as possible.” Flood mentions how important it is as a Student Ambassador to be a friendly face for new students. Making a scary situation a little more comforting makes a world of a difference. Angelika Bourke talks about opportunities outside of Student Ambassadors for new students to get involved in. She says, “I would say that Hamilton has a lot of opportunities to get involved and be a part of something bigger, so definitely join sports and/or clubs. Many times, it is a great way to meet new people who have similar interests as well as making the transition into Hamilton much easier.” Getting involved in clubs and sports is a great way to build a sense of community and meet new people! Clubs and sports tend to draw people to those extracurriculars because of similar interests. Those similar interests can make it a lot easier to meet people, and who knows, you might meet someone you never would have expected!
Student Ambassadors is one of the many clubs at Hamilton to meet new people, network, and engage in the community. The creators of the club—advisors, executive members, and club members—all influence the positive and inclusive environment surrounding Student Ambassadors. If you have an interest in meeting new people, being a friendly face to new students, and being a positive role in the community, reach out to Mrs Hasbrook or Mrs Rigg to get involved!
