Julie BlakelyHomecoming is a time honored tradition at Anthony Wayne High School, with students excitedly participating in a variety of spirit activities and the community turning out in droves for the annual parade and football game. It is a week full of activities designed to celebrate our schools and promote community spirit.
Behind the scenes, the AWHS Student Council members and advisors spend several months preparing and planning to ensure Homecoming is a safe and enjoyable experience for all.
Julie Blakely, one of four Student Council advisors, has been a guiding force for the organization over the past decade. Her enthusiasm for encouraging student growth through leadership and commitment to creating positive school culture has resulted in countless events, activities and traditions over the years.
From Inspiration to Leadership
Blakely's journey to becoming a Student Council advisor began ten years ago when she was inspired by her colleagues. "I saw the advisors planning activities and they were so positive about school," she recalls. "They enjoyed working together, and it was a way to collaborate outside of their departments, which we don’t often get time for as teachers." She now serves as the advisor for the junior class Student Council members and a mentor of sorts for the other grade level advisors who are newer to their roles.
She and AWHS Counselor Joe Puhl (Freshmen), Andrea Mihalko (Sophomores) and Jill Perretti (Seniors) start planning the upcoming year in May with students. They take student feedback and get together over the summer to map out the school year and divide up the events and tasks that will take place.
“We share the workload because there is a lot to do, and you don’t want too many cooks in the kitchen for any one event,” she explains. “Each class or committee takes charge of a certain activity. It’s a great learning experience for students.”
Creating a Positive School Culture
Blakely believes that the role of Student Council is to provide opportunities for student growth and leadership and foster school pride and positivity.
“Student Council is not student government, rather our goal is to come up with ideas that promote positive school culture,” she said. “It’s about doing the right thing and creating an environment where students want to be involved.”
Over the years, she has guided students through the planning and execution of large events like Homecoming and the Junior/Senior Prom, along with many other activities like pep rallies, Teacher Appreciation Week activities, Red Cross blood drives and community service projects.
"It’s hundreds of hours of work each year – for the advisors and the students,” Blakely said. “We have a lot of fun, but the level of commitment also teaches students about responsibility, organizing large-scale events, and time management.”
Blakely also highlights the Professional Development Day, new in the last three years, as a particularly impactful project. Her favorite was the one that brought together student councils from across the district, from fourth graders to seniors, to exchange ideas and learn from each other.
“It was a wonderful learning experience for everyone. We were able to see what different grade levels were interested in,” she said. “The students came away with the knowledge that they all want to see the same things in their schools, just at age-appropriate levels.”
The Impact of Student Leadership
When asked about the qualities that make a successful Student Council advisor, Blakely is quick to point to creativity, organization, and a willingness to try new things. She also emphasizes the importance of allowing students to lead.
“I’m the guide on the side,” she said. “Students plan it, students run it. I offer guiding questions to get them to think through the steps and possible barriers, but I love it when they step up and take charge.”
This hands-on approach has allowed Blakely to witness remarkable growth in her students.
“I’m always amazed at how much they grow and develop over the four years,” she said. “They come in nervous and unsure, but by the time they’re seniors, they’re experts at planning events on a budget.”
A Learning Experience for All
Blakely takes pride in how participation in Student Council helps students develop real-world skills.
“They’re working on communication skills, budgeting, leadership and event planning, which are all important life skills,” she explains. “They go from not wanting to pick up the phone to place a call, to working with venue representatives and hosting pep rallies in front of the student body.”
She credits the mentorship of upperclassmen in helping younger students find their footing.
“We have ‘families’ within student council, where older students partner up with younger students to help them along,” she explained. “They learn a lot that way and they overcome their nervousness about stepping up to take charge when they see others getting out there and doing it.”
Balancing Responsibilities
Blakely is in her twenty-first year as a science teacher at Anthony Wayne High School where she currently teaches Zoology, CCP Environment of Life and Environmental Science. Her classroom is set up to be dual-purpose, with half dedicated to instruction lab work and the other half reserved as a work space for Student Council.
Just like balancing the space in her classroom, Blakely admits that balancing her teaching responsibilities with her role as Student Council advisor can be challenging. However, she credits the respect her students have for her classroom and her leadership team of senior students for making it all work.
“My class comes first, and the Student Council kids are great about respecting that,” she said. “They’ve learned how to manage tasks independently, and the senior leadership really steps up. They come in and get to work.”
A Future of Continued Growth
As Homecoming approaches, Blakely and her team are deep in preparation. Teams of students are planning spirit week, hallway decorations, the pep rally, a volleyball tournament, flag football game and other events. They are gearing up for an exciting week by preparing promotional flyers and videos to get students and staff excited about this year’s theme, which just so happens to tie into the state science standards.
“The theme is biomes. Seniors picked the rainforest, juniors the Arctic, sophomores the ocean, and freshmen the desert. It’s covert learning on the side,” Blakely laughs.
Throughout the year, the group gets together before school on Wednesdays, but when big events like Homecoming and Prom come around, the students and advisors spend every extra minute getting ready.
“They come in and they are busy, but they are also talking and building relationships,” she said. “It’s giving them a sense of ownership, something to focus on outside of their academics and a way to connect with others.”
For Blakely, it’s these moments that make the long hours and hard work worth it.
“School should be fun and enjoyable, and it’s all about balance. We can work hard in class, but we also play hard and have a good time at school,” she related. When kids are involved, they blossom.”
After ten years, Julie Blakely shows no signs of slowing down. While she may refer to herself as a “guide on the side,” her commitment to helping students grow into adults is felt at the very heart of every project, event and meeting. Her dedication to her students and Student Council is making a difference at AWHS during Homecoming Week and beyond.