Lisa Sharp’s dedication to her school’s student council can be measured by her participation and performance in the group’s 2020 Lip Sync Battle fundraiser: the Berg Middle School principal — who was confined to a walker while recovering from surgery — was still movin’ and groovin’ onstage, cheerfully mouthing the words to P!nk’s “Raise Your Glass.”
So it’s no wonder Sharp was named the 2020 Iowa Association of Student Councils (IASC) Administrator of the Year. Sharp received her award March 22 at the Iowa Leadership Conference in Des Moines.
“It’s easy to support the student council — it really is,” Sharp told Newton News. “To me, it’s a no-brainer because they do such amazing things.”
Sharp, too, was involved in student council when she was in middle school and high school.
She remembered traveling by car to Florida for a national conference. It was an amazing experience, she said, but she wished at that time more students other than student council officers could attend.
Sharp credited the advisers of the Berg Middle School Student Council — Tyler Stewart and Mindi Bartell — for including more students in conferences and for providing “lots of opportunities” for kids to learn and develop their leadership skills.
It also gives students a chance to leave an impact on both their school and their community.
For instance, Sharp said the student council has visited grocery stores in town and have randomly paid for families’ groceries. They have also organized fundraisers and collected food for the school’s food bank.
Of course, the largest and most popular event the council puts together is the annual Lip Sync Battle, which packs the gym with spectators and raises money for charity.
In 2020, the Lip Sync Battle raised more than $8,000. Sharp said the money was donated to research for childhood cancer.
This year, the sixth annual battle kicks off May 15 in the Berg gymnasium. Money raised from the event will benefit the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City.
Sharp said a diverse group of about 125 students in grades 5-8 are involved in student council. Consolidating the fifth and sixth grades into the middle school a few years ago has certainly contributed to the growth of the student council.
But Sharp loves the fact Berg is giving fifth- and sixth-graders opportunities all the way up to eighth grade “to hone their leadership skills” and “really feel like they have a part in what goes on here.”
Sharp added, “It’s not just a certain type of kid that gets to be involved in student council. It’s open to anybody that wants to join in. And then they have officers that have responsibilities.”
They’re not in it “for the glory” either, Sharp added, they’re in it to really give back to their school, make their school better and make their community better.
“They take that very seriously and that, to me, is a life skill that we want all kids to be able to learn,” Sharp said. “And this is a perfect opportunity.”
Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com
The Link LonkApril 02, 2021 at 10:15PM
https://www.newtondailynews.com/news/local/2021/04/02/on-principal-sharp-says-its-easy-to-support-the-student-council/
ON PRINCIPAL: Sharp says it's 'easy to support the student council' - Newton Daily News
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