Holding a leadership role in any organization is not a small task. To the students who want these positions enough, however, hard work and dedication have always been important to proving they have what it takes to lead LZ’s clubs.
“I love it. I love the responsibility, being in charge, and having a connection to the high school,” Amie Hansen, Student Council president and senior, said. “I think I knew at the end of my freshman year it was a goal of mine to be Student Council president. My sophomore year my brother, [Kurt Hansen], was president and I saw how much he loved it, so it made me want to do that and help and change the school as much as he did.”
Being the leader and role model in a club is something students have to work for. Savannah Haeger, senior, who is president of National Honor Society, Drama Club, and Co-president of Law Club, is one student who knows this better than most.
“For Drama Club, I worked my way up from being the lowly freshman and looking up to everyone else, to being able to take on this role,” Haeger said. “It’s so rewarding to be the person I looked up to for three years. I have always respected the Drama Club president for being a great role model and always staying positive, so I try really hard to do the same.”
Hard work and dedication can pay off in the end, because presidents often reap the benefits of their roles.
“I am pretty well-known with the students and also the faculty. Mr. Rubenstein and Mrs. Kolze know me by name, and I’m a friendly face in their office, so even the secretaries know who I am. It’s great to really have a name for myself in the high school,” Hansen said.
Hansen loves that her job as Student Council president allows her to connect with both administration and students. Emily Melavic, senior, finds a similar benefit that comes from her role as president of Interact Club, a community service club that volunteers at different events in the area.
“I do feel like I’m pretty well connected with the community,” Melavic said. “And even though Interact isn’t as well known, we are trying to get our name out there. Being involved with Rotary Club and the [St. Vincent de Paul] Food Pantry, I’ve met so many new people. I’ve met really cool adults who help me form new projects, which really helps because people get to know our name.”
The perks of the job are important, but just as important is how club presidents get to their positions.
“I was [Student Council] vice president last year, so that position helped me figure out what the responsibilities are and what I needed to do in this position,” Hansen said. “I was District 95 Charity Bash chair my sophomore year and that experience helped me work on my communication skills. I have been a Girl Scout for 13 years, and that has helped with my communication skills a lot, too.”
Communication is key to the duties of any presidential role.
“I have to attend the officer meeting every other week, as well as the general meeting on the other Fridays, so every Friday I am in NHS mode. I make sure every secretary is on the same page with member hours, and I have to be open to changes and listen to what other people are concerned about,” Haeger said. “I would say my job as NHS President is the people person. I need to make sure everything runs smoothly, coordinate all the officers, and make sure the correct issues and tasks go to the right person. I send out reminders through Facebook, text messages, and even email. Communication is big.”
Although all three presidents say they enjoy their roles, downsides seem to come with the territory.
“Sometimes I have to be the bad cop and put my foot down when people aren’t doing what they are supposed to be doing,” Hansen said. “Sometimes I have to give lectures and be the bad guy when people aren’t fulfilling their responsibilities, if they’re letting the team down, or are just not doing what they are supposed to. I have to be the mean person every once in a while.”
Melavic’s idea of an obstacle as president is more specific to how she runs the Interact Club.
“[Being president] is a lot more time consuming than you would think,” Melavic said. “Especially with [Interact Club], I think that nagging is hard. We are a volunteer group, so we want the kids to want to help out. Sometimes we have to beg for volunteers, and we just don’t want to have to do that because we want our members to enjoy giving their time.”
Although there will always be a downside to any leadership role, Melavic and the other presidents stress the importance of working hard to get to the position you want.
“I think that you need to be able to make it a priority,” Melavic said. “If your position is not a priority, and you aren’t willing to make it important, nothing will go right. If I go a weekend without staying in touch with people about projects and events, nothing is going to run as smoothly.”
For Haeger, however, the most important part of her jobs is organization.
“The main point is to stay organized,” Haeger said. “My mom is a publicist; one thing she does at work is a time-in-action plan. It has the date, task, person who is responsible, and whether the task is completed. At the beginning of the school year, I made a time-in-action plan for each club; it was a great tool to organize everything. It really helped me to delegate tasks and make sure everyone can do something. As much as I would like to do everything myself, I know I cannot.”
Hansen, Melavic, and Haeger say their roles in school and clubs are important to them, and are much more than just another something to put on their college applications.
“I really think it is great to be in charge because I can try to deal with people and problems within every club,” Haeger said. “I love the self-satisfaction I get out of each one. I get really happy when other people are happy with what I do… It’s a great experience to have a leadership role and be able to delegate between so many different people and personalities. [Having three leadership roles] is probably not for everyone, but I love the satisfaction I get out of them.”