Central Union student leaders describe plans to boost school spirit and community service

Dr. David Farkas, superintendent of Central Union High School District, met with student leaders from across the district to hear how they plan to strengthen school culture, expand community events and encourage more students to take on leadership roles. "This is a perfect example of strength and unity," Farkas said after the conversation.

Student leaders described a mix of school-spirit initiatives and community-service projects they said are central to their plans. Sonny Cortez, president at Central Union High School, said he sought the role "because I wanted to make a change for our students." He pointed to visible spirit traditions and a vocal student section as examples of that work: "You just see us wearing Blue Lock Fridays... Our student section is 1 of the best Sure. In the Valley," Cortez said.

Students described community-focused events as a priority. Johan Baria and other student leaders recalled a holiday drive at Heber School: "we did this 1 event in Heber School where it was during Christmas and we give out presents to kids. And those are presents presents that were donated from kids from our school. And that was really fun," Baria said, highlighting student-led fundraising and volunteer efforts.

Several student leaders urged peers to take small steps toward participation. Kyle, a student leader, advised: "All you have to do... take the first step. Just participate." Kendra Santos, vice president at a Southwest campus, said she entered leadership to "create a bigger sense of community around Southwest and just bring more school culture onto campus." Sasha Loyos described a similar motivation: "I got into A's because I wanted to make an impact and be the voice for our students as well."

The conversation also touched on how leaders plan to engage classmates directly. One student said their first priority, if in the superintendent's role, would be to visit each school and meet students in person: "My first, priority would be to probably go to all the schools and make sure that I interact with the students," Sonny Cortez said.

Farkas closed by praising the district's support for student leadership and the role student-led events play in building community. No formal actions or policy changes were proposed or taken during the meeting; the session was conversational and intended to surface student priorities for the school year.