For the past five years, Student Council has picked a service project to volunteer at and raise money for through the school-run male pageant, Mr. Wildcat. This year the school decided to focus their efforts on problems right here in De Soto.

“This is our fifth year, kind of like an anniversary year, of Mr. Wildcat, so we decided to keep [volunteering] local,” said Student Council sponsor Katie Meserko. “We don’t know what we’ll specifically be doing yet, but we’re hoping to do a lot of different things within the community.”

Some of the activities that they plan on accomplishing are things such as weed eating and mowing, moving boxes and furniture and tutoring for people in their neighborhoods.

“We’re trying to hit a lot of different things this year,” Meserko said. “We’re just going to throw the question out there of where we can help and just try and see what we get back in return, so it’s kind of up in the air still.”

According to senior Student Council president Whitney Wegner, members of StuCo are excited for the project and can’t wait to see the impact their hard work has.

“I think it’s really cool how in Student Council, we can not only reach out to the students and faculty, but to community members as well,” Wegner said. “We’ll be able to impact the community more and see the immediate effects of that.”

Not only will the project benefit the people of De Soto and be exciting for those who participate, but Meserko also wants the StuCo members to learn from the experience.

“I want them to know that they can make a difference just in their own backyard. It doesn’t have to be something very elaborate like a big organization that’s already well-known,” Meserko said. “You can do little acts that will make a big difference throughout the community.”

Through the project, Student Council hopes to be able to leave a positive and lasting influence on De Soto as well as raise awareness and support for those so close to home.