The Old Rochester Regional Junior High Student Council has been busy this year, and more activities are on the horizon.

The group is 45 students strong due to a change in the homeroom structure (more homerooms with fewer students in each), and the representatives from each group have plenty of thoughts on what they want to do for the school and the community.

“This year, because it’s pushing 50 [students], there’s a plethora of ideas,” said co-president Riley Suh, who heads the group with Jack Lebrun.

The presidents also meet regularly with Principal Kevin Brogioli, who listens to them and also suggests projects.

“It is open communication. He brings ideas to them, they bring it to student council,” said advisor Margaret Benson.

With so many possible activities to do, meetings are never quiet, but students are an encouraging presence on campus and are engaging with the community.

That’s important to Suh and Lebrun, both eighth graders.

“I think it's really important to focus on the world around us and be empathetic. I don't think the majority of kids at this school realize how fortunate we are to live in this area. By us participating in these events, people can get a better understating,” she said.

In October, the group held an impromptu spirit day where students were encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness. At Halloween, the council held another spirit day, this time asking people to pay $1 to dress up. They donated the $256 collected to the annual Thanksgiving banquet held for tri-town seniors.

The group also made favors for the banquet and sent a few hundred to Father Bills, a homeless shelter.

In November, a can drive brought in 1,085 non-perishables that were donated to St. Andrew’s Food Pantry in New Bedford. Homerooms competed against each other to bring in the most canned goods with the promise of a pizza party for the top two homerooms.

This month, the council held an “Ugly, Cute Sweater Day” and sponsored a kindness board where people can post nice things about each other.

At a recent meeting, Suh said the group is also considering the addition of an “acceptance club.”

The club would be a “mixture between a gay straight alliance and culturally diverse club, so everyone knows they have a place to be accepted here and can just be yourself,” she said. “I think acceptance is a lot better than tolerance.”

The group is planning a clothing donation campaign for February called Jeans for Teens that will benefit homeless youth. Suh said she would like to see students as well as the tri-town community participate by donating their too small or unwanted jeans.

Benson said she has encouraged the students to be inclusive by sponsoring community service initiatives, such as Jeans for Teans, that don’t involve monetary donations, and holding events in which everyone has a place.

“We try to get everybody involved,” said Lebrun.

More information about the Jeans for Teens clothing drive and drop-off locations will be available in January.