Portage High School sophomore Max Harsha has wasted no time in making a difference in his high school. Harsha, who just started his second year at PHS, has a list of accomplishments and involvements that would rival most seniors.
Harsha is dedicated to the PHS Student Council, serving as sophomore class president and on the executive board for the high school division of the Indiana Association of Student Councils as a district representative.
The Indiana Association of Student Councils board members plan the State Convention in November, plan rep assembly in March, work on summer leadership camps and communicate through the districts and the state. As sophomore class president, Harsha keeps the Class of 2015 in order, chairs student council events and makes sure that class business goes off without a hitch.
“I want to be involved with everything,” Harsha said. “I just want to try to make a difference in the school and in the community as much as I can. I’m just striving to make a difference.”
Like many of Portage High School’s brightest young students, Harsha fills his slate by balancing advanced classes, extracurricular activities and community involvement.
“I don’t like not being busy,” Harsha said. “I like always being busy. I just want to make a change and make the school the best place possible.”
One of Harsha’s biggest student council events to date was orchestrating this year’s Powder Puff football game the week of Homecoming. He said that the event made a lot of money for the sophomore class and hopes to donate some to charity. In middle school, he played a key role in hosting the student council’s Relay for Life event. Currently, Harsha is planning a dance marathon.
Although Harsha is heavily involved with both the school and state student councils, his after school involvements do not end there. He is a member of the speech team, Young Adult Reader [YAR], recycling club and Pow Wow Radio. He also donates his time to various community service activities through First United Methodist church.
Harsha is proud to be a part of Portage High School. He chooses to focus on the positive aspects of the city and the school.
“I think [PHS] is very diverse,” he said. “We have a lot of different students that go here. There are a lot of opportunities that a small school wouldn’t have. We have a lot of different clubs and courses that are offered here. I think that makes it very interesting.”
Although he is only in his second year at PHS, there have already been several teachers that have made an impact on him.
“I would say Mrs. [Leslee] Kretz, my biology teacher, really inspired me with science, which is my favorite subject,” he said. “So far this year Mrs. [Melissa] Deavers-Lowie has really inspired me. I took up journalism for the first time and I like it a lot.”
Harsha is garnering further journalism experience as the newest PortageLife.com coverage team member.
“I enjoy it a lot,” Harsha said. “I like having the different experience of traveling to different events. It’s something I’ve never done before. I really enjoy taking pictures and writing articles.”
Harsha has plans of attending Loyola University in Chicago and later go to medical school. Until then he will soak up the time that he has remaining in the city of Portage.
“Portage is very diverse,” he said. “It’s a bigger city, there’re a lot of opportunities to help out with whatever needs help and I really like that about Portage.”