On February 12th, just hours after the Marion vs. Mount Vernon basketball game, Marion Wildcats entered Mount Vernon High School and Mount Vernon Rams entered Marion High School. This is the Marion/Mount Vernon Student Exchange, where members can host students from Marion or attend Marion High School for a day. Many students were involved with the exchange from both Marion and Mount Vernon. 

Chelsie Horner, ‘26, hosted Lela Springvloed, “I have known her for a few years now and it was fun to show her around and have her with me all day,” she says. Hosting a student meant that members took a Marion student with them to every class all day, until after seventh hour. 

“It was interesting to see someone else’s perspective of MV,” said Zuri Das, ‘25, who hosted Maddie, a junior from Marion. Zuri thought Maddie would be bored during the day just following her around all day, but fortunately, they became friends. 

Lola Hudson, ‘26, encouraged other students to join MV Student Council so they have this opportunity to host other students, “I think it is a great way to make new connections and an experience, not everyone gets to experience unless you are a part of student council,” she says. 

Other students were hosted by Marion students at Marion, including Isabella Stanford, Paige Powers, and Lillie Myers. “Marion had a lot more freedom compared to MV, students roamed the halls more and they weren’t very strict on phones in class. The hallways also weren’t as busy compared to MV,” says Stanford, ‘26. 

“I loved attending another school and seeing what it was like there. It was especially valuable considering I’m in a club that can help me make changes at my school that are inspired by this experience,” said Myers, ‘25, who is also the head of the Culture Committee, which makes changes to better our school based on ideas from other schools in the area. 

“I went to Marion, and my host was one of my friends I met over the summer. We had so much fun all day,” Stanford, ‘26, who was hosted at Marion. Some people were hosted by people they didn’t know, which can be a difficult experience for some. 

MV Student Council was excited to host Marion Student Council in the Student Council Exchange and hopes to host another high school soon.