Shelby student leaders share memorable year, multiple accomplishments
By David Jacobs
This week's Shelby Board of Education meeting featured a special presentation by members of the Shelby High School's student council leadership team of officers.
The organization focuses on leadership and organizing school-wide events, it noted in its presentation featuring multiple speakers from the leadership team of officers:
-- Rees Lewis, president
-- Annie Mahek, vice president
-- Kendra Walp, secretary
-- Selah Ogle, co-treasurer
-- Lexi Mohn, co-treasurer
-- Adey Cornette, social media manager
-- Courtney Stiving, advertising manager
-- Emma Dailey, co-fundraising manager
-- Cailey Fairchild, co-fundraising manager
Bobbi Weaver, a counselor at Shelby High School and the council adviser, accompanied the student leaders to the May 19 school board meeting, Lewis noted.
"We work with all of the students from the school and the administration and teachers to plan events throughout our school year and make the school a better place where everybody tries to get involved and do things that they want to do," Lewis said of the student group.
The students try to make events free so that all students can enjoy them.
Student speakers and their PowerPoint-style presentation detailed multiple highlights from the 2024-25 academic year.
Some of the many examples:
-- leading an effort that raised $1,387.42 for the United Fund of Shelby
-- donating $284.60 to Kate VanAlstine’s class so they could make blankets for those in need.
"They donated the blankets to the local foster homes in Shelby," the presentation detailed. "Along with donating money, we had a few members put together a hat and glove tree."
Students also went to Walmart and purchased pairs of gloves and hats to put on a Christmas tree in the high school’s rotunda. "If a student was in need of one of these items, they were allowed to take them off the tree and keep them."
-- raising $5,558 by selling popcorn at the boys basketball games
-- hosted a powder puff tournament
-- hosted a costume day for Halloween
-- holding a denim jean decoration event
-- "Senior Sunrise" where 12th graders met on a hill beside the school before the start of a school day to watch the sunrise in late August
-- seniors designing and decorating their own parking spots in the Shelby High School lot
-- Spirit Week in the week leading to Homecoming, a tailgate event and crowning of the queen and king and similar other special events leading up to events such as prom
-- Joining with Shelby FFA to hold a square dancing event.
-- A two-week effort in which personal hygiene products, including soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and deodorant, were donated to the Richland County Youth and Family Council.
-- sharing New Year's resolutions in the rotunda area of the high school
-- Special Valentine's Day-themed events, including a sing-a-gram opportunity offered by the Melloettes, a group of singers
-- Held a Kindness Day that included Cheryl’s Cookies during lunch, kindness cards students could fill out for friends or faculty, and carnations made available through Pioneer Career and Technology Center's horticulture lab
-- Teacher Appreciation events featured bouquets of flowers purchased from Pioneer and gifts of Hot Wheels cars, thank you notes and a catered lunch
-- Senior Signing Day, where students committed to their plans after graduation, such as enrollment in college, enlisting in the military or employment
The student council senior officers also seek to get younger student leaders involved and encourage the rest of the students throughout the school to participate even if they are not on the council.
In all, when younger students are included, the number of freshmen, sophomores and juniors affiliated with the group's work totals about 50.
New officers, as elected by the student body, for the 2025-26 academic year are:
-- President: Elizabeth Cole
-- Vice President: Sophia Wagner
-- Treasurer: Mia Hubert
-- Secretary: Alex Lay
-- Social media managers: Chloe Mahek and Natalia Peters
-- Advertising manager: Olivia Byrd
-- Fundraising manager: Katie Taylor
Shelby School Board president Scott Rose congratulated the students on their presentation, while school board member Brad Ream thanked Weaver, the adviser.
"There's a lot of things that you don't realize that you do throughout the school year," Rose told the group.
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