Leader and Role Model

Passion, responsibility, and cooperation are only a few traits that begin to describe what I believe every great leader needs to be successful. Some of the best traits I find in leaders come from their individuality. Every year one senior girl and one senior boy are elected to be student council president. The presidents for the class of 2013 were especially good leaders because they were there to help the students have the best year possible. They were strong listeners and were passionate about getting the student body what they wanted. The biggest struggle with being a student council president is cooperating with the faculty, but they were very good at compromising and making everyone happy. Both of these seniors had contagious personalities and when they spoke in front of the high school everyone wanted to listen. This brought the student body together to follow these leaders as well as giving them the support necessary to lead. They were relatable high school students while being role models at the same time for the underclassmen. One of the presidents came across an ethical dilemma between her classmates and the faculty because of the loyalty she had to her peers. Every year there is a homecoming and at least one student is sent home for drinking. This year the faculty suspected one of president’s friends was intoxicated, so they asked her if she could confirm that she was and help them call her parents. She had to make a choice between being loyal to her friend and not saying anything and also honest to the adult because of her role as president. She politely asked the teacher to not involve her in the investigation because of her relationship with her friend. I believe her decision showed great ethical leadership and in return respect from the entire school’s community. 

Elizabeth Kalinowski