Are there things about your school that you wish you could change? Have you grown tired of your friends' constant complaining about school rules? Have you been told that you can't do anything to change these things?

Think again.

CASC, the California Association of Student Councils, has made its mission to be the voice for each student in California. The nonprofit, student-led organization seeks to empower the youth of California to take action and be positive, dedicated leaders of the future.

The purpose of CASC is to improve the quality of life by developing skillful, ethical, and sensitive leaders of diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Although they may not be aware of it, most California students' lives have already been affected by CASC.

Do you bring your phone to school? Thanks to CASC, you can. A while back, students were not allowed to bring phones or pagers to school. A few CASC student leaders brought this issue before the State Student Board of Education and had passed for all schools in California the eligibility to bring phones to school.

What would you do if you had to take four years of physical education? Some time ago, students were required to take PE for four years. But thanks again to CASC, students are required to take only two years.

In recent days, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a measure that will allow 17-year-olds to preregister to vote. CASC was a leading backer of the bill.

This is all lovely information, but what can we students do to change things in our schools?

For one, we can get our schools involved with CASC by attending the local Student Advisory Board on Education program Nov. 14-18 in Sacramento. There, students will be able to share ideas with adult decision-makers on improving our schools and work with educators and officials to produce change.

At the statewide level of SABE, students from across California meet with the State Board of Education and legislators to present proposals for improving the education system.

CASC events aren't just purely business and work, work, work. Surprisingly, they are extremely fun! The delegates on the State Board of CASC and the regional officers — all high school students — help out by being counselors.

At every event, there are "mixers," a wonderful CASC tradition nothing like your typical, bland icebreaker. The mixers feature witty chants and songs like "Little Sally Walker" and "I Went Down to the River" bound to ring in your mind for a long time.

They also offer fun games to help participants get to know one another.

There is also a sort of mini-SABE available, an all-day event at the Stanislaus County of Education on Oct. 29.

CASC is not an organization that merely talks about statewide improvement and change. Members take action and make the change happen. It's an organization that focuses on the needs of students. Each member of CASC aims to teach students how to be bright and engaging leaders, mixed in with just the right amount of fun.

Breiana Theodore is a senior at Big Valley High School and a member of The Bee's Teens in the Newsroom journalism program.