Royal Court takes the spotlight. Members of the 2024 Renaissance High School Royal Court pose with a banner during the homecoming parade. The event was organized by the Renaissance student Senate as part of a weeklong effort to boost school spirit.
By: Clarity Williams
At Renaissance High School, the Senate works year-round to organize events that bring students together and boost school spirit. Whether you’re a teacher, student, or member of another extracurricular group, the impact of Senate is felt throughout the school community.
“Senate plays a huge role in the average high school experience of a Renaissance Phoenix,” said sophomore Korinne Lavergne, who has been a senator for two years. “Without Senate, my high school experience would just be completely different.”
Many senators say that their involvement has helped them become more active and connected within the school and beyond.
“It gave me the branches that I didn’t know that I needed or that I didn’t think were possible here,” Lavergne said. “I get to plan so many projects that I want to do, and it also gets me involved in the school community.”
Junior Zaria Dillon agreed. “I definitely think it helped me want to become more involved in everything around the school,” she said. “When you’re actively helping with every project, you’re planning homecoming—it gives you an incentive to want to plan more things.”
One example of such involvement was a book drive organized in March. “That was a project outside of Senate,” Dillon said. “It got students extra credit for bringing in books, but then it was also good because we donated the books to schools around Detroit that needed them, like elementary students.”
No matter the type of activity, senators often share the same goal: building community and encouraging participation.
“When I speak about planning things, I just speak about doing things that make the student body want to get engaged and have that school spirit,” Dillon said.
Senior Jillian Jones, president of Senate, echoed that sentiment. “My goal is more so just to have fun—thinking of projects that people would actually want to come to, that they would enjoy.”
Each senator approaches planning with a unique thought process, often centered on the benefit to students.
“Will people be engaged? Will it work? Am I going to charge for it? Do I want to donate this money?” Dillon asked. “And I guess like, why should people want to do it? Why should people want to come? Why should people have school spirit?”
While some events don’t always go as planned, Senate uses feedback to improve future activities. Dillon recalled the senior class “Grammys” during the 2021-22 school year.
“It didn’t really go well ‘cause most people didn’t know what it was,” she said. “But I think if we were to do it again with another class, it would go 10 times better… for classes like ’26 next year, I think it would go well.”
Senate also engages with students beyond the classroom—especially through social media.
“Instagram is our biggest way to connect with the student body,” Jones said.
Through creativity, reflection, and outreach, the Renaissance Senate continues to shape student life, one event at a time.
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