Features

Student United Leadership Team

Molly Spence, Co-Editor-In-Chief

January 9, 2025

Student United Leadership Team (SULT)

The Student United Leadership Team is a new collaborative coalition of students, teachers, and schools through the United Way of Indiana County. The United Way is nonprofit organization that hopes to bring resources into Indiana County to strengthen the community and have a positive impact on the lives of students and residents of Indiana County. United Way relies on volunteerism and generous donations to serve local communities.

The Student United Leadership Team representing Marion Center Area High School consists of 5 students from Marion Center; 4 students from 11th grade and 1 student from 9th grade and 1 advisor. Students participating include Olivia Buford (9), Kieler Elkin (11), Sabrina Larson (11), Malaya Snyder (11) and Molly Spence (11), the advisor is Mrs. Regina Horwat, Guidance Counselor. The team meets once every month at Indiana Country Technology Center to work and collaborate with other schools in Indiana County. Each meeting focuses on different ways to develop students’ leadership skills with a goal of taking what they have learned back to their respective schools to help build strong community and student morale.

Our Marion Center Student United Leadership Team works together with groups from other schools, to come up with ideas to help teenagers with mental health, as well as bringing our students and faculty together for school-wide engagement projects. So far this year, the team has made announcements raising awareness about bullying and available resources, traveled with the elementary students to assist with the Big Balloon Build field trip, and put together a school-wide Christmas tree display.

The team’s most recent project, the Christmas tree display, was created and displayed in December. All students in the building were encouraged to make a certain part of the tree display. 7th graders made ornaments, 8th and 9th graders made light bulbs, 10th graders made snowflakes, 11th and 12th graders made hands, and teachers made presents. On each part, students and staff wrote what they were grateful for this holiday season to help them reflect and remember that there is always something for which to be grateful.

The Student United Leadership Team members are looking forward to their next meeting and are hoping to start new school-wide projects in the spring semester!

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About the Contributor

Molly Spence, Co-Editor-In-Chief

"Remember there is good in this world, and bad, and ugly." -Unknown Hello, welcome to The Stinger! My name is Molly Spence, I am a class of 2026 Junior and the Co-Editor-In-Chief for The Stinger Newspaper. I am involved in the Newspaper, Marion Center Mean Green Marching Machine as one of the Section Leaders for the Color Guard, a representative of Marion Center High School for both United Way and SULT (Students United Leadership Team), Athena Club as the head of public relations, Art Club, Mock Trial, Freaky Friday The Musical cast, and library assistant. This is my third year in Newspaper. I've been assistant editor for two years, and this is my first year as Co-Editor-In-Chief. My future goals include attending Lycoming College to major in Psychology to accomplish my career goal of being a clinical psychologist and continuing my education (master’s and doctoral degrees) at another college. Apart from my aspiring career and education dreams, something people may not know about me is I twirl batons (1, 2, and 3 batons). I was a competitive twirler, as for right now I'm doing my own training, improving my skills, and learning new tricks. I also love ducks. I have two ducks who hate my batons when I’m twirling but love to go up to them and peck them when I’m not twirling. I don’t allow them anywhere near the fire batons, of course. My ducks and twirling are giant parts of my life, as well as psychology class here in the high school and my own research and education. By being a part of The Stinger, I want to make everyone's voice heard and leave no one behind, because after all, we, Marion Center High School students, are all in this together.