Junior Mikaela Cresse fills out the Principal Student Advisory Council application.

DGS offers two student leadership opportunities

Juliana Conyer, Managing Editor • September 22, 2023

On Wednesday, Sept. 6 DGS students were given the option to apply for two leadership opportunities–Principal Student Advisory Council and Mustang Way Access Leaders. All grades are encouraged to apply for PSAC, while the Mustang Way Access leadership program is only open to juniors and seniors.

PSAC was introduced last school year by Principal Arwen Lyp. Lyp had previously run a PSAC organization at Hinsdale South High School.

18 students will be selected for PSAC and the organization meets monthly to discuss solutions to school-wide issues. PSAC isn’t limited to high-achieving students; everyone is needed on the council.

“I really want a good representation of our DGS community…we’ll look at gender, we’ll look at race, we look at income status, what junior high you went to. The one thing that all 18 students will have in common is not being afraid to speak their mind at the table,” Lyp said.

PSAC is a direct way for administration to incorporate student opinions into the choices being made at DGS and for students to participate in change.

“They [PSAC members] impact the school community by really bringing student voice to the front of decision making. The overall goal [of PSAC] is the never-ending improvement of DGS through a student voice perspective,” Lyp said.

Selected students will be excused from one class period a month to attend PSAC meetings.

The other leadership opportunity being introduced to DGS is Mustang Way Access Leaders. This program is brand new to the 2023-2024 school year.

Juniors and seniors chosen as Mustang Way Access Leaders will be placed in a common access classroom where they will plan lessons for ninth graders to take part in.

Junior Kim Torres submitted her application to be a Mustang Way Access Leader. Torres shares the impact she hopes to have on underclassmen through her participation in the group.

“Something that’s really important to me is advocating for mental health, and I’d like to see if we could introduce freshmen to getting help throughout the school year and taking care of their mental health,” Torres said.

This leadership position won’t just benefit ninth graders, but also the leaders themselves. Torres explains why she thinks taking advantage of leadership opportunities is important.

“Knowing that I’m able to be a better leader has made me more comfortable speaking in front of other people. Knowing that I can trust my ideas and I can trust that what I’m saying is valuable and important to other people…it’s been really empowering,” Torres said.

Approximately 50 upperclassmen will be chosen as Mustang Way Access Leaders and the program will begin on Sept. 27.

About the Contributor

Juliana Conyer, Editor-in-Chief

Senior Juliana Conyer is an Editor-in-Chief for the Blueprint Staff. This is her second year as a staff member, but she has been a part of the publication for three years. Besides journalism, Conyer is a part of book club, the varsity speech team, the PE Leading program, the service coordinator for the National Honors Society, a Mustang Way Access Leader, an English tutor and the president of student council. Conyer was part of the 2023 IHSA Journalism team and took first place at the sectional competition for Yearbook Caption Writing. She advanced to state and became the champion in the event. In 2024 Conyer qualified for IHSA Speech State Series in the events of Special Occasion Speaking and Impromptu Speaking, and ended up taking fourth place for the latter. In the summer of 2024, Conyer was selected as the Illinois representative to attend the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference in Washington, DC. There she was able to learn from professional journalists and study journalism in the capital. Conyer’s journalism experience began at the beginning of her freshman year when she joined the Blueprint Club as a freelance writer and discovered a passion for journalism. She then went on to take the Journalistic Expression class her sophomore year to enhance her journalism skills. In her junior year she was the Managing Editor for the Blueprint staff. In her free time, Conyer enjoys spending time with her younger siblings, reading, listening to music and watching new movies. Additionally, she has a passion for creative writing and public speaking. Conyer hopes to pursue a career in writing.