Student Government finds success at State Conference

By Chloe Nash, Staff Writer

April 27, 2023

ROCKLAND- Rockland High School students attended the MASC conference on March 8-10 in Hyannis.

The MASC conference is a three-day event where student councils across the state share interests in their schools, focus on learning to be good leaders and come out of their shells. 

Mrs. Kirsten Bartoloni, an eighth-grade history teacher and Student Council Advisor, said Rockland High students have attended MASC for as long as it has been offered. 

“The conferences give student council kids the opportunity to meet kids from other towns. They share ideas, attend leadership workshops, listen to keynote speakers and even attend an epic dance,” Mrs. Bartoloni said. 

One of the many parts of MASC is learning what other schools do and how to become a good leader. 

Mrs. Bartoloni added, “Students who attend MASC conferences leave with leadership skills and ideas to help build the community within the school.”

Dressing as superheroes, the 20 Rockland students going to MASC participated in the Polar Plunge to benefit the Special Olympics of Massachusetts.

One of the keynote speakers, Ed Gerety, has influenced many students. 

Ed Gerety is an author, podcast host, and one of the top professional youth speakers and leadership trainers in the United States. Ed helps to build and support a positive student climate and teaches skills that young adults and teens need to develop to become leaders. 

Sophomore Jessica Gillooly learned many different things from Ed and she said, “A big thing that I took with me from his talk was ‘tell the people you love that you love them’ because I think that is something so important. Ed also told us ‘don’t compare yourselves to others.’”

Gillooly plans to have more spirit weeks and events in the future and “become more involved with student council and there won’t be such a disconnect in our school.”

Her favorite part of MASC was the amount of free time they got and the number of people they met during this free time.

“One time when we had free time we were able to go to the pool and I learned ideas people had and what they do at their schools,” said Gillooly,

MaryKate Leoncavallo, a senior who attended, also has also been influenced by Gerety. 

Leoncavallo enjoyed meeting with new people and getting to know them as well as sharing a room with her member. 

Leoncavallo noticed that Rockland High has a lot more involvement than other schools do and that RHS students leave MASC wanting to, “[leave] an impact on as many people as possible.”