Getting back into “school mode” when summer is still in full swing is never easy, and for members of Manhattan High’s 2014-2015 Student Council, getting back to school means getting back to some important business. However, StuCo made sure to start an upcoming year of hard work off with some constructive fun.

Sunday, this year’s StuCo members and supervising supporters, including StuCo sponsor Leslie Campbell, met up at MHS West Campus for their annual start-of-the-year StuCo retreat, where leadership activities and the group’s first official meeting of the school year took place.

According to Campbell, the retreat was held at Rock Springs in years past, but due to “several factors”, it was decided that this year’s retreat be held at home.

“The administration was excited to do something in the house,” Campbell said, adding that school board members, Pat Hudgins, Curt Herrman, Marsha Rozell and Leah Fliter, along with Superintendant Bob Shannon, even joined the group for dinner later in the day.

However, the superintendent and board members were not the only special guests in attendance at the retreat. Before dinner, StuCo members participated in team-building and leadership activities led by Andrew Cherry, who’ leads high school StuCo workshops in Emporia.

“The primary goal of the retreat is for Student Council members to get to know each other and to build relationships with each other,” Campbell said. “It’s a good opportunity for the senior representatives to get to know the freshman representatives, to help the freshmen feel that they’re very much apart of the group now, as well.”

Senior Class Secretary Dheepthi Perumal also saw the retreat as a chance to help create bonds between StuCo members, which she explained will be beneficial to more long-term StuCo goals, as teamwork as a foundation for the group is key in having a successful year.

“We actually have many new members this year, including both students and sponsors, so the retreat is about having a good time while really getting connected to one another,” Perumal said.

Student-body Presidentsenior Nicholas N. Clark explained that one of his goals for the retreat was touching on communication and cooperation within the student body itself.

“This year, we are really going to be pushing increased cooperation between StuCo and clubs, and an increase in interest groups and intramural activities,” Clark said. “Communication has really been lacking between StuCo and the clubs of MHS, so that’s something we’re really trying to remedy this year.”