Student Leadership Elections Wrap Up

Clarion photo Jaydon M
Leadership students hanging up letters in the sign at the front of the school. “HOMECOMING WEEK”

The week of Sept 20, the Cleveland student body made their choices on what students they wanted to represent their respective classes, electing class presidents, vice presidents, treasurers, public resources teams, and historians for the senior, junior, and sophomore years.

Out of the presidential candidates for each class, the senior cabinet brought in presidents Simone Guite and Auden Koeneke, the junior cabinet was headed by presidents Simone Maher and Lila Temple, and the sophomore cabinet welcomed president Alessandra Lee. These five students will be heading the class cabinets tasked with making the year great for their class.
Furthermore, student body leaders were elected the week of the 13th, bringing in Student Body Co-Presidents Anu King and Moxie Thompson, and Vice Presidents Arly Holzweissig and Hazel Beard.

What responsibilities have the new cabinets taken on? In the words of senior class Co-President Auden Koeneke, “Basically, our job is to make sure [Cleveland students] have the best year ever.”
Leadership is responsible for fundraisers, spirit events, decoration, and more. Ordinarily, they would also conduct assemblies, but like many things these days, that responsibility is on hold for at least the next six weeks. Cleveland’s CARE (Cleveland Alliance for Racial Equity) Leadership class also partners with this team, hence the co-student body president system established in 2019.

Within the class, there are four class cabinets. Each class cabinet organizes fundraisers and festivities for their own class, such as homecoming hall and float decorations, and three-year fundraising for their own class’s senior prom. The president of each class also belongs to the executive cabinet of leadership, along with the student body presidents and other positions such as treasurer and secretary. This cabinet has more direction over the climate and events of the entire school, and works with each class to get things done.

Last week, Leadership was hard at work putting together a Homecoming game, dance, and festivities. After that, their other large projects include the CommuniCare project and CHS Gives Back, both of which are fundraisers dedicated to helping the greater community in need. CARE’s current goal in relation to the larger Leadership system is to amend the Cleveland constitution so that CARE and Leadership are officially designated to co-lead the student body. Right now, the current agreement of co-leading has not yet been amended, and can be easily subject to change.

The Leadership class advisor, Susie Brighouse, expresses one crucial concern for the team in the coming year – not having enough cabinet members. “We had a lot of people drop the class or their choice to run because of the transition to full-time school – they just didn’t have the time. We want anyone who wants to be part of their class cabinet to show up.”
Any student who wants to, regardless of if they’re in a Leadership class or not, can be in their class cabinet. To do this, Brighouse says, students should get in touch with their class president(s) or teachers who serve as class advisors. For seniors, this is Steve Nims and Julia Blattner, for juniors it is Camille Adana, and for freshmen it is Lureea Weesner. There is currently no teacher serving as sophomore class advisor.