Lacombe Composite High School welcomed visitors by the busload on the weekend for the Alberta Student Leadership Conference (ASLC).

They arrived Sunday afternoon, in time for a parking lot party at the school, where they were greeted by cheering students.

There are about 600 students and 200 staff advisors attending ASLC, which runs until Tuesday.

A steering committee of eight LCHS students and three teachers has been preparing for this week, securing keynote speakers, billets, sponsors, volunteers, and putting together an itinerary.

“We worked hard for a year and a half. So now it’s coming together and the community’s really excited about it and so are we,” said Brooke McBurney, a Grade 12 student on that committee.

The conference theme is revolves around the three pillars of mind, body and school spirit.

“That’s really what our school is (about). We’re really athletic, we have a lot of sport teams but we also realize the importance of your mind and respecting your body as well,” McBurney says.

Keynote speakers were selected based on that theme. They include Olympic curler Cheryl Bernard, who won a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics; former Congolese child soldier-turned motivational speaker Michel Chikwanine; comedian Gery Schubert.

(Grade 12 LCHS student David Mueller demonstrates the ring toss game he's overseeing at the ASLC parking lot party on May 28.)

Students will also participate in activities such as pet therapy, meditation, Zumba, bootcamp and a dance.

McBurney and fellow committee member Katelyn Litwin, say they hope students leave with fond memories and new friendships.

The conference website lists nearly 30 sponsors, including Burman University, which is housing a number of delegates.

“They saved us big time,” says Litwin, a Grade 11 student. “We have almost 200 people going up to Burman and the rest are getting billeted. The community has helped a lot, especially Burman.”

The students say they’ve learned that planning an event like this one takes a lot of teamwork and dedication.

“Communication is key,” Litwin says. “The past week we’ve been at the school since 9 p.m. every night and we’ve realized it takes a lot of hard work.