The Student Council Convention is a state convention for student council groups all around Pennsylvania. The convention for this year will be held in Altoona from Sept. 22 to Sept. 23. 

American history teacher Elizabeth Bronson has been the junior high student council adviser for 24 years. This is not the first time the convention will be held in Altoona. 

“The Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils (ASC) did not have someone to host the conference for 2023. In the past, we have helped out the organization by bailing them out and hosting them when they were in need. They came to Altoona and asked if we would host this year, so we said we would do it,” Bronson said. 

Bronson hopes they will get 50 to 75 schools to participate in the convention. Altoona student council has helped to block off hotels, so the school has choices when making their reservations. 

“There are seven hotels available for them. The schools make their own reservations, and then they stay in hotels for one night. If they decide to come in the night before, that’s fine as well,” Bronson said. 

The convention will be held at the junior high, but they will travel to the high school auditorium for more room. The convention will have the theme “We’re all in this together.” 

“We wanted to make the theme diversified. We also wanted it to be about musicals and how you have to have the set crew and the costumes in order to make a play happen,” Bronson said. 

Freshman Madison Aboud came up with the idea for the theme. 

“I wanted something Broadway related because that is a big piece of who I am. I went through all these different ideas. When I thought of it, we’re all in this together, that theme is perfect. It was like a match made in heaven, in a way,” Aboud said. 

The preparations for the convention have been the students’ responsibilities. 

“So, you have Mrs. Bronson, who’s our adviser. You have the four conference chairs, who watch over all committees, and head committees who will do a lot of the talking to General Sessions. They basically have the heads of everything here at the conference and will oversee it all which is a lot of work,” Aboud said. 

There will be various activities at the convention. There will be keynote speakers, a dance, workshops for the students, service projects and food team building games. 

“There’s about 15 committees, and each of the committees has two kids as their chairpersons and an adult associated with it that oversees it. So, we have decorations, food, transportation, technology and advisers,” Bronson said. 

Aiden Aiken thinks he will be attending the convention. 

“I’m excited. I think it will be great to meet all the other students from across Pennsylvania and get to know how other student councils work,” Aiken said. 

Aiken is most excited for the dance held at the convention. 

“I’ll get to socialize with other students from different schools along with my peers. I know it took a lot of effort to put the convention together, and I am thankful for Mrs. Bronson for giving me this opportunity to meet new people,” Aiken said. 

Aboud and Bronson are both excited but nervous for the convention. 

“I will say the kids up to this point have worked really, really hard. I couldn’t ask for a better group of kids. They have done a fantastic job, and I think that it’s going to be a great experience for them,” Bronson said.