While Gainesville High School students Travis Edmonds and Gerard Williams are working with their peers in student government to plan this month’s homecoming events, they do have issues on their minds beyond school dances, pageants and football games.

Travis, who is a senior, and Gerard, a junior, are serving this year as treasurers for the Florida Association of Student Councils, the umbrella organization for all student governments in the state. That places them among the elite of Florida’s student leaders. Even more significantly, Gainesville High School has been chosen to host the association’s annual state convention, which will be held in late February. It’s a big job to coordinate an event designed to motivate and educate 800 student government leaders from across the state, but both Travis and Gerard say they’re looking forward to the challenge.

“I think it’s going to be one of the best conferences ever,” said Gerard. “The convention hasn’t been held in North Florida in more than thirty years, so it’s good that we’re finally bringing it back here.”

The students and their faculty sponsor Linda Awbrey have already begun arrangements for the convention, which includes everything from inviting speakers to planning hotel accommodations for participants. The goal of the convention is to teach and motivate students to become more effective leaders. Travis, who is currently GHS’ student body president, says he’s particularly interested in encouraging Florida’s student leaders to reach out to all of their peers.

“I want them to learn how to get more people involved, even those who might be considered the ‘outcasts’ at a school,” he said. “We should do more to pull them into our activities, to get everyone involved so that no one feels left out.”

Ultimately the students want to come away from the convention with a platform that will be presented to adults who can effect change in Florida’s schools, including Governor Charlie Crist. Awbrey says the students have very strong feelings on issues ranging from the FCAT to career education to health, and that Travis, Gerard and their fellow student leaders want to make sure their voices are heard.

“They are both so keen on getting the message out to students that their opinions matter,” she said. “They know that as a large group, they can get more done. They want to see change happen.”

“You get your voice heard when you’re in student government,” said Travis. “An average kid on campus might not get things done because they don’t know who to speak to. Being in student government puts you in the know of who to speak to and how to get things done in life.”

Gerard says he expects the skills he’s learning as a student leader—effective communications, dependability, time management, among others—will help him later in life. That’s why he encourages all students to get involved.

“Everyone should know how to be a leader at some level,” he said. “Whether it’s in student government or some other school activity or even in the classroom, just get involved.”