Belpre High School junior Bella Morrison leads a session Friday about personal growth and leadership traits using the metamorphosis of a butterfly during the 73rd annual Ohio Association of Student Leaders State Conference. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

BELPRE — The 73rd annual Ohio Association of Student Leaders State Conference is being held at Belpre High School this weekend, bringing together 154 student leaders from 11 different schools across the state for a weekend of growth, connection and inspiration.

“The organization’s been around for a long, long time,” Belpre High School student council leader Robin White said. “It’s a statewide organization that any school in Ohio is open to, middle and high school, and they provide leadership opportunities for kids all year long.”

White said the organization used to exclusively be for student council students but has changed and evolved over the years to include a wide range of student leaders.

“Anybody that has that leadership potential can be a part of this as well,” he said.

This is the first time Belpre has hosted the event and White said it gives the school and the community a chance to show what they have to offer in the area.

Chaynce Eubanks, left, from New Richmond Middle School acts out a boxing move for Ashland High School sophomore Daisy McGhee and Belpre High School junior Gracie Bills 73rd annual Ohio Association of Student Leaders State Conference held at Belpre High School Friday. Students were asked to team up with others they didn’t know and show their interest without using words. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

“We’ve gone to much bigger schools, and we’re one of the key schools in this area of the state, so we thought, you know what, we want kids to come to this area and see what our demographic is,” White said. “It’s a little different in different parts of the state, culturally and stuff like that too. So we wanted to be able to do that and showcase what we have here.”

This year’s conference theme, “Take Flight: Cultivating Tomorrow’s Change Makers,” reflects what White said is the deeper goal of empowering students.

“I think just getting kids to realize that they can take flight… they shouldn’t have to feel like they’re limited in what they’re doing… that there’s hope for them, that they can push forward despite their circumstances,” he said. “Sometimes it’s making the right connections with people. It’s finding the people that inspire you… just to see that hope overall.”

Student-led sessions will take place throughout the two-day event, allowing student leaders to share ideas with one another. In addition to formal programming, the conference also includes social opportunities.

“We have a dance… something calm and social, but just a good chance for kids to not only grow in their leadership skills and learn new things, but to connect with each other and just learn from each other,” White said.

Belpre High School senior Elizabeth (Liz) Morrison and junior Bella Morrison lead a session Friday about personal growth and leadership traits using the metamorphosis of a butterfly during the 73rd annual Ohio Association of Student Leaders State Conference. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

The event also included keynote speaker Judson Laipply, known as the world’s first YouTube Celebrity after his viral sensation “The Evolution of Dance” appeared on the video-sharing channel in 2006.

Laipply, a native of Bucyrus, Ohio, served as the state president of The Ohio Association of Student Councils from 1993 to 1994.

“It’s the same organization, just a different name,” Laipply said. “I got involved, continued to attend events, including the state conference, and ran for the state board.”

He said the organization has always been a part of his life.

“I have tried my best to stay connected to the organization. I started speaking right after graduate school in 2000 and I’ve come back… This will be my fourth time coming back.”

Judson Laipply, known as the world’s first YouTube Celebrity, was the keynote speaker for the 73rd annual Ohio Association of Student Leaders State Conference held at Belpre High School Friday. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

He said conferences like this one can help shape the future for students in ways they might not recognize until much later.

“It’s such a unique age, because you’re developing as a human being. You’re developing as a person. Your brain is developing, and you have experiences in high school that you don’t recognize sometimes, just how impactful they are on you, until you really get older,” he said. “For me, it was really impactful at that time. It gave me a lot of confidence. It helped expose me to people that I would not have normally been around. That opportunity at that time essentially laid the foundation and the groundwork for what I actually do for a living.”

Laipply said one thing he hopes students will take away from this weekend’s conference is knowing they have to work for what they want.

“One of my important through-lines is, never want for more than you’re willing to work for,” he said. “I think that’s really one of the keys to happiness and satisfaction in life.”

He said that while wanting something is easy, being willing to work for it is what leads to meaningful growth.

“The wanting part is really easy. A lot of people want stuff, and they see something, ‘Oh, I want that.’ Like, okay, you gotta work for it,” Laipply said. “As human beings, we’re much more proud of the things we earn than the things we’re given.”

He spoke to student leaders Friday and encouraged them to step outside their comfort zones and build new connections. Connections he said could last a lifetime.

“There are five other people that I met during my time with student leadership that I can reach out to at any point in time, send them a text message, which I will do after being here, and I will send them a message, just be like, hey, was just thinking about you.”

White said he has seen a lot of his students begin to open up at these events and some have even taken on leadership roles with their school hosting this year.

“The kids have really stepped up this time,” White said. “I saw some students that had kind of been quiet really stepped up this time and found a little bit of their voice. And saw that they can do things too.”

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com