Over the years, Camas High School (CHS) has offered numerous opportunities for students to undertake the responsibilities of a leader. Some examples include Link Crew, Associated Student Body (ASB), and the National Honors Society (NHS). Organizations like these give students the chance to take on leadership roles and prepare them for future careers.
Participating in clubs and associations can benefit students for the entirety of their high school career and life beyond high school. They provide a sense of direction, community, and motivation to strive towards their goals.
The goal of each leadership position is to ensure the community feels secure and finds a sense of belonging within the school community. Sean Tamura, CHS career information specialist, expressed his beliefs on leadership involving students.
“Overwhelmingly, I think it’s really important because in general, I think students will take things to heart much better if it’s coming from another student that they look up to, more so than from staff members,” Tamura said.
“Our MVP team, they’re asked to just jump right in, even if they don’t know any of the freshmen, even if they can be a little awkward,” Tamura said. “It’s an expectation for them to really model appropriate behavior and strong leadership skills.”
Nathan Hoff, a senior Link Crew leader at CHS, discussed his experience assisting freshmen.
“It’s super fun, just getting to meet new friends and being able to help them and guide them through high school experiences,” Hoff said.
NHS is another great example of students stepping up to the plate to help and involve themselves not just at CHS, but throughout Camas. Students volunteer in various parts of the community to create a more enriching experience for individuals in Camas. Lily Wilkinson, a senior NHS member at CHS, revealed her opinions on tackling an authoritative role.
“I think it’s important for when [students] graduate and go into the workforce because you need to have leadership for any kind of job you do,” Wilkinson said.
Positive and negative feedback are what compose leadership organizations. Tamura conveyed how he responds to positive and negative feedback.
“If we are not getting a lot of feedback, it usually means that it was positive, and if teachers don’t need to give us feedback, then that usually means everything went smoothly in their room,” Tamura said. “We try to handle everything in-house, and try to find out exactly what happened and how we can fix the situation.”
Tamura is extraordinarily pleased with the leadership being displayed by leaders this year and is anticipating the same results for years to come.
“I’m pleasantly surprised and hoping it keeps up,” Tamura said.
