On September 20th, 2022, the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) hosted a conference called “Together We Make a Difference.”  This was part of the MSHSL equity initiative (which you can read about here) that launched in February 2022. Leaders from different Minnesota high schools and sports organizations came together to create a plan to improve behavior at high school events and schools in general. 

At the conference, 200+ student-athletes from across the state met to discuss some new ways leadership skills could be improved and added to schools. Tatum Zimmerman, a junior at New Prague High School, attended this conference with Maddy Picka, John Schmidt, Joey Novak, Mino Morris, Samaj Morris, Ella Danner, Ellie Hulse, Katie Kotek, and Isaac Stanger with Activities Director Brad Skogerboe. 

“The conference was a great experience for my peers and I. We learned about many ways to make our school a welcoming and safe environment. I talked to multiple students from various schools, and we all had the same goals. We want everyone to be proud of their differences, and to respect others in the school. Overall, it was very enlightening and a great learning experience to start encouraging leadership in our school.”

Overall, the “Together We Make a Difference” conference was a huge success. After releasing a newsletter last summer, the MSHSL ended the paper with the phrases, “Together, we commit to making every effort to ensure that all students have a safe environment in which to learn and participate in activities. Safe, supportive school environments are of paramount importance.” Looking forward with hopes of advancement, the state of Minnesota and its high schools are eager to embrace this new change and prevent issues like these ever happening again.