Tomorrow's leaders are developing the skills required to upkeep a strong and growing Weyburn, by taking the initiative to raise funds for community programs while still attending school. For students at the Weyburn Junior High, organizing various fundraising activities for the Weyburn community is a major aspect of the Student Activity Council (SAC) and Cobra Motivational Activities Leadership Council (MALT).

"Raising money for our community programs is such a great cause," said Elanne Krainyk, member of the SAC.

"By helping these community programs we have a chance to give back, because you never know when one of us could be in a position of need from these community programs," said Cobra MALT member Morgan Molde.

The Weyburn Junior High Student Activity Council (SAC) are comprised of Grade 8 and 9 students chosen to provide a leadership role within the school and the community. The main role of the leadership council is to promote school spirit and attempt to make the school a place where students can feel they belong. They are advised by teachers Janice Bernard, Tera Hale and Erin Sabados.

The Cobra Motivational Activities Leadership Council (MALT) are the leadership team that organizes events and activities at the WJH that is focused around the Cobra Squads. The students in this group create motivational activities for the school, encouraging cross-grade interaction as there are students from each grade on every squad. They are advised by Karla Warren, Kyla Moffet and Nathan Bromm.

"We have so many talented leaders and potential leaders within our school and it is for this reason that our staff has dedicated more time and energy to ensure that all students have a chance to gain and grow for leadership experiences," said Weyburn Junior High principal Wade Oberg. "These groups complement each other as they both promote school spirit and school pride through the activities they work so hard to organize and run."

By working together, the SAC and Cobra MALT councils have raised over $800 for various Weyburn community programs, including KidSport, the Therapeutic Animal Park, the Humane Society, the Salvation Army and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

The ideas behind each fundraiser comes from the students themselves. "The students brainstorm for different fundraising activities and then chooses the organization that they feel they would like to donate the funds towards," said SAC advisor Janice Bernard.

Once an idea is born, the students also work really hard to promote the fundraiser around the school. "We really raise awareness around the school by making posters and advertise around the school," said Brandon Waddell, member of the SAC. "We also try to promote these activities by showing our own school spirit so that other students are encouraged to participate."

"Some of the events were ideas from previous years at the school, like Clash of the Cans which collects food for the Salvation Army," explained Lauren Holliday, SAC member. "Other ideas are new to the school this year, like the Candy Cane fundraiser, pictures with Santa Claus and taking donations at our noon-hour dances."

While a lot of the dedication to the events can be a lot of hard work and extra time after school, the students in the groups still know how to have fun at the same time. "We get to do all the fun stuff involved in organizing the events, as well as participating in the game days and school spirit activities," said Louis Schnell, Cobra MALT member.

"The games and competitions around the school encourage a healthy competitive edge for all of us, as we are battling for prizes, but at the same time we are also working together to do some good in the community," said Cobra MALT member Paige Rainey.

The end result of their endeavours will last a lifetime for these maturing students. "Learning to promote volunteerism and fundraising is a valuable skill for our young community members to achieve," said Bernard. "Through their leadership, all our school population learns about these valuable skills and how important it is to give back to the community."

"Not only do the students in the SAC and Cobra MALT councils gain the opportunity to be positive role models and leaders, but at the same time they are learning how to work on a team and encourage others in the school to participate in the challenges," said Cobra MALT advisor Bromm.