Mike Roland was impressed.

The executive director of the Florida Association of Student Councils (FASC), which is the umbrella organization for student governments in high schools throughout Florida, has been to 42 of the FASC’s state conventions. He says the convention recently hosted by Gainesville High School was one of the best ever.

“The sponsor and her students have done an unbelievable job,” he said during the last day of the convention. “The kids who’ve come here really felt welcome, like they were a part of something. It’s absolutely outstanding.”

That sentiment was echoed by many of the nearly 1000 student leaders and adults who visited Gainesville High School and the surrounding community for the two-and-a-half day event. In addition to workshops on leadership, communication and other topics, the participants enjoyed visits to the Center for the Performing Arts and the Harn Museum. They also heard from prominent speakers like University of Florida head football coach Urban Meyer, who told them that leading means both doing what’s right and encouraging others to do what’s right.

Student leaders from throughout the state said they learned a lot at the convention.

“It was a great experience for us,” said Brad Snider of Cooper City High School. “I learned a lot more about leadership and how we can improve our schools.”

“It’s been very exciting,” said Gianira Sifuentes of Park Vista High School in Palm Beach County. “It’s given us a lot of ideas that we can bring back to our schools and use to expand our leadership skills.”

That’s music to the ears of GHS student government sponsor Linda Awbrey and her students, who have been planning and organizing this event for two years.

“All of the delegates have told me that they’ve learned so much through this conference,” said Awbrey. “They’ve got new skills and creative ideas for reaching students who may not be taking the right path.”

“As a host, you get this warm feeling when you know you’ve accomplished something good,” said Travis Edmonds, a GHS senior who is also serving as one of the FASC’s state officers. “I know that the young leaders here have gotten something out of this conference that they’re going to take back and use in the future.”

The work of arranging an event for so many people—this year’s convention drew one of the biggest crowds ever—was also a valuable experience for the GHS students. They had to handle everything from the program agenda to transportation, entertainment and food to lodging, and a host of other details, both large and small. Junior Gerard Williams, who also serves on the state board, says he learned a lot from the process.

“I’ve learned that just because you think something’s going to go a certain way doesn’t mean that it will,” he said. “Something can always surprise you, so you have to expect the unexpected.”

Awbrey said she’s proud of the way her students responded to the enormous challenge of hosting the convention. She’s also pleased with how well the event reflected on the school and the community.

“This has certainly been a community endeavor,” she said. “We had an opportunity to show people from throughout the state the type of community we are and the quality of the young people we have here.”