Marquette Catholic High School offers many extracurricular activities for its students, but the student government is one of the most popular. This club has been an extracurricular offered at the school for decades.
Student government goes hand in hand with Marquette’s strong investment in community stewardship. The school aims to give back to the community, and the student government frequently helps with that mission. Student government allows students to be part of something bigger than themselves. There, they can further develop their social and leadership skills in addition to designing winning campaigns. Student government is beneficial to students and community alike.
One such example of the beneficial work of the student government is the Adopt-a-Family event that the club organized, in which each class sponsored a family in need for Christmas. This brought everyone in the school together for a common good and helped others have a joyous holiday.
Student government also organizes various fundraisers every year. One of the most valued in the school is the October denim and pink day where students make a donation and wear a pink shirt with denim jeans to help raise money and awareness for breast cancer.
Recently, the student government also put together a food drive to benefit the Trinity Community Food Pantry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Michigan City. The canned goods and non-perishable foods that students donated before Thanksgiving exceeded 350 pounds. Students remarked that this made them feel proud to be a part of such a wonderful school.
The importance of student government is more clear this year than ever before. COVID-19 has affected many families in the community, and Marquette does its best to help them in any way that it can. The food drive was a great way to bring a little joy to others this holiday season.
This year also presented some fresh faces in student government, including the student body president, Mary Kate Bobillo. Her family has attended Marquette for several generations. Bobillo wants the school to be even better when she graduates than when she first started.
“I feel that the group of students that was elected this year is a great group to work with and represent the student body. All of the new members this year have been incredible, especially due to the circumstances of this year.” said Bobillo.
Student body president and senior Mary Kate Bobillo is someone who has been very involved in the community during her time in high school. In addition to student government, she participates in golf, basketball, global fellowship, student travel, and is the baseball manager.
Bobillo’s favorite part of student government is that it provides an opportunity for students to have a voice and be heard. Bobillo is also a part of Marquette’s University Program and will graduate with a high school academic honors diploma as well as an associate’s degree in liberal arts.
“These courses along with Marquette’s committed and supportive teachers have prepared me beyond what anyone could possibly imagine,” Bobillo said.
Bobillo plans to attend Purdue University to study criminology. Her favorite thing about Marquette is the family-like environment and the relationships she has formed. Her advice for incoming freshmen is to be involved with what is going on and stay on top of school work from day one.
Teacher Amanda Boyd went to college at California State University, Fullerton before moving to Indiana. She knew Marquette was the right fit for her when she came in for her interview and everyone was polite and welcoming.
Boyd has taught at Marquette for four years now. During that time, she has taught a multitude of classes including Government, Economics, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Geography, History of the World, and Indiana History.
When she was asked to run the student government club, she was honored. Boyd stated that she loves service projects and organizing fun events to get students and families involved in the community.
“At Marquette, our first mission is to God. As a Catholic school, we should be focused on helping others. Service is what makes Marquette different, so we should make sure to carry out acts of service,” Boyd said.
Boyd’s favorite thing about Marquette is the sense of community and family. She said that everyone sticks together and helps each other, making it a warm environment.
She also shared her advice for incoming freshmen.
“High school is a short four years,” Boyd said. “Go on retreats, go to dances, play a sport, get involved. Take a bunch of classes and expand your horizons.”