Naomi Wilbur, Sophomore Class President 2019-2020
The Initial Letter
Calm Waters. This is the theme I chose this year because I’m a sophomore in high school now, and I’m growing up. I feel like this is one of the last years of my childhood because once you become a junior in high school, you have to start thinking about what you want to do with the rest of your life. This year is my last year of “calm waters” before school and my life gets stressful and chaotic. But, I am going to appreciate every moment of this year and the rest of high school so much more because I am only able to live through this experience once. I am going to appreciate the calm of this year. Sophomore year isn’t easy, but I am going to take much better care of my mental health this year which will help me grow and become a happier person. This year I am fully prepared to do whatever is in my job description and more. I want my class to be so much more spirited because I truly think that our school would be more fun if most people cared and participated. I think it only takes a few people to start off being spirited and then more will follow because they will see how it affects our school in a positive way. So this year I am really going to encourage my friends and people in my classes to dress up, take care of themselves, and appreciate high school. I feel that a lot of my friends and people in my classes are not appreciating high school enough. Of course we don’t want to do homework, take tests, or deal with people but we only get to go through high school once so I want to make the best of my time here and I want everyone else to have good and fun memories of high school. If I do my part to try and instill a good influence within my class, more and more people will be affected by that which will create a cycle of kindness and appreciation at our school. But the only way for me to do this and expect my class to follow is for me to take care of myself, meet more people, and be more open with new people because then they will do the same. I am the leader of my class and I am ready to not be basic and mediocre, but to step it up and be the best example for my peers.
Quotes I
“Don't worry about not doing "it" perfectly right now. It's ok, just keep at it, you will soon settle in it and then you'll be glad you didn't give up.”
This quote really relates to me because I have the absolute worst perfectionist tendencies. I am always so hard on myself for not doing things perfectly the first time. This is habit that I really need to break this year because it’s so unhealthy for me to be so hard on myself for not being perfect. But it’s also not my fault because I feel like everyone expects me to be perfect, and when I’m not I feel like I’m disappointing everyone. But I am starting to learn that I can’t give up.
“The most important thing that I learned in growing up is that forgiveness is something that, when you do it, you free yourself to move on.”
I feel like I relate to this quote because as I’m getting older I need to learn to be more forgiving to other people, but especially myself. I need to forgive others even though it might be hard, because that’s just a skill I need to have as I get older. Forgiving isn’t easy, but if I practice it enough then it will become easier and I will most likely be a happier person. Forgiveness is always needed because it will make my life easier to know that I don’t have to hold anything against anyone. I also need to be forgiving towards myself because I can’t do everything right all the time.
“True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.”
I really like this quote because this year I am trying to appreciate my friends a lot more. I’m trying to spend more time with them because they are what get me through the day sometimes. This quote relates to me because I am comfortable in the silence with my two best friends. I just want to appreciate my friends more, and sometimes sitting in the silence is good to just appreciate each other. I want my best friends to know that they do so much for me and sometimes just sitting there with them is how we all appreciate each other.
This quote really relates to me because I have the absolute worst perfectionist tendencies. I am always so hard on myself for not doing things perfectly the first time. This is habit that I really need to break this year because it’s so unhealthy for me to be so hard on myself for not being perfect. But it’s also not my fault because I feel like everyone expects me to be perfect, and when I’m not I feel like I’m disappointing everyone. But I am starting to learn that I can’t give up.
“The most important thing that I learned in growing up is that forgiveness is something that, when you do it, you free yourself to move on.”
I feel like I relate to this quote because as I’m getting older I need to learn to be more forgiving to other people, but especially myself. I need to forgive others even though it might be hard, because that’s just a skill I need to have as I get older. Forgiving isn’t easy, but if I practice it enough then it will become easier and I will most likely be a happier person. Forgiveness is always needed because it will make my life easier to know that I don’t have to hold anything against anyone. I also need to be forgiving towards myself because I can’t do everything right all the time.
“True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.”
I really like this quote because this year I am trying to appreciate my friends a lot more. I’m trying to spend more time with them because they are what get me through the day sometimes. This quote relates to me because I am comfortable in the silence with my two best friends. I just want to appreciate my friends more, and sometimes sitting in the silence is good to just appreciate each other. I want my best friends to know that they do so much for me and sometimes just sitting there with them is how we all appreciate each other.
Quotes II
"When someone criticizes you, it defines who they are, not who you are."
This quote really defines a lot of my efforts and success this year throughout all of the events the other officers and I have planned. We have always put so much of ourselves into these events and we always hear something negative about it, even from our own friends. But this is something that I've just had to learn to deal with. When executing an event and thinking that it was pretty good someone always has to say something to bring it down. Now there's a difference between constructive criticism and just criticizing something because you can. I can deal with constructive criticism because that's how we learn and grow. But when people criticize for no reason, they don't realize all of the work that we've put into something and it will eventually all build up and eat away at us because we will always feel like we're not good enough, or our work isn't good enough. This quote can impact future students in the course because it's something all leadership students are going to have to deal with at some point, but don't let it get to you. If you know that you did your best and someone continues to criticize you, then they have an issue with their self.
This quote really defines a lot of my efforts and success this year throughout all of the events the other officers and I have planned. We have always put so much of ourselves into these events and we always hear something negative about it, even from our own friends. But this is something that I've just had to learn to deal with. When executing an event and thinking that it was pretty good someone always has to say something to bring it down. Now there's a difference between constructive criticism and just criticizing something because you can. I can deal with constructive criticism because that's how we learn and grow. But when people criticize for no reason, they don't realize all of the work that we've put into something and it will eventually all build up and eat away at us because we will always feel like we're not good enough, or our work isn't good enough. This quote can impact future students in the course because it's something all leadership students are going to have to deal with at some point, but don't let it get to you. If you know that you did your best and someone continues to criticize you, then they have an issue with their self.
Goals I
A goal I have for myself in leadership this year is to talk and contribute to the conversations more. But sometimes by the time I raise my hand and the conversation gets to me, someone has already said what I was going to say. Also it’s scary to give my opinion in front of everyone because I’m scared that they aren’t going to like what I have to say. Another goal I have for myself in leadership this year is to have a successful Winter Formal. That’s our biggest fundraiser and I am really excited to plan it so I want it to go really well. It’s also such a fun time of the year so I want it to also be a fun time for everyone else, whether it’s going to formal or planning it, or even just the holiday season, I want it to be an enjoyable stress free time.
A short term goal I have for my life is to go to a four year college in Arizona or New York. It’s not exactly short term, but high school is going to be over before I know it so this is kind of a short term/long term goal. But I want to go away for college because I want to expand my knowledge of the real world and I don’t know if I would be able to do that if I stayed home for college. Another short term goal I have for my life is to place in the top 3 at every dance competition for my solo and my trio. I really want this year to be a good year for dance because it’s probably one of my last years of competition with my best friends so I just want it to be a fun time with all of my closest dance friends.
A long term goal I have for my life is to do something with dance for the rest of my life. Dance has been a huge part of my life for 13 years already, so it would be crazy for me to just all of a sudden stop dancing. I don’t know if I want to be in a show, in commercials, movies, open my own studio, be a choreographer, but I know that I have to do something with dance for the rest of my life. Another long term goal for my life is to just be happy. I am really happy with my life right now and it feels so good to just be able to not stress so much. Because when I’m happy, I know that I don’t have to stress a lot. So I want to be happy with the rest of my life. Of course there are going to be stressful situations and struggles, but I want to be able to live my life how I want.
A short term goal I have for my life is to go to a four year college in Arizona or New York. It’s not exactly short term, but high school is going to be over before I know it so this is kind of a short term/long term goal. But I want to go away for college because I want to expand my knowledge of the real world and I don’t know if I would be able to do that if I stayed home for college. Another short term goal I have for my life is to place in the top 3 at every dance competition for my solo and my trio. I really want this year to be a good year for dance because it’s probably one of my last years of competition with my best friends so I just want it to be a fun time with all of my closest dance friends.
A long term goal I have for my life is to do something with dance for the rest of my life. Dance has been a huge part of my life for 13 years already, so it would be crazy for me to just all of a sudden stop dancing. I don’t know if I want to be in a show, in commercials, movies, open my own studio, be a choreographer, but I know that I have to do something with dance for the rest of my life. Another long term goal for my life is to just be happy. I am really happy with my life right now and it feels so good to just be able to not stress so much. Because when I’m happy, I know that I don’t have to stress a lot. So I want to be happy with the rest of my life. Of course there are going to be stressful situations and struggles, but I want to be able to live my life how I want.
Goals II
One of the goals I set for myself in leadership this year was to talk more in class and contribute to the conversations more. I think I did a little bit. I started getting more comfortable towards the end of the year but still, as an underclassman judgement from everyone else is scary. I know that it shouldn't be scary having to give input with that class but there are still people who are judgmental and I have seen them put others ideas down, so it just discourages me from joining the conversation. But most of those people will be gone next year so then I will feel better about contributing to the conversation. Also, I won't ever be the person who puts someone else's idea down because I know that feeling and it really sucks to feel like nobody cares. The other goal I had for myself in leadership this year was to have Winter Formal be a success and it definitely was. We raised over 5,000 dollars which is so amazing. We were really good at budgeting and working with what we had because we didn't want to spend too much money but we spent a good amount and still made a major profit. It was a really fun night too. I'm really glad that it ended up being a really great event because we were kind of worrying about how to incorporate our theme since it was kind of general.
One of my short term goals was to go to a college in Arizona or New York. I'm getting closer to that goal day by day because in a little more than a year I will be applying to go to schools there so I'm just trying to make the best of where I'm at in this stage of my life right now. I've kept good grades all year and colleges usually look at semester grades from your sophomore and junior year so I should have a good chance of doing well because I'm also ranked 11 in my class right now.
My life goal was to continue to dance for the rest of my life. Like I said before I'm getting closer to that goal because in a few years it will be my last year at my dance studio and I want to continue dance after high school. Whether I become a Rockette, become apart of a company, or get a job as a teacher I will do anything that keeps me dancing for the rest of my life until I can't dance anymore.
One of my short term goals was to go to a college in Arizona or New York. I'm getting closer to that goal day by day because in a little more than a year I will be applying to go to schools there so I'm just trying to make the best of where I'm at in this stage of my life right now. I've kept good grades all year and colleges usually look at semester grades from your sophomore and junior year so I should have a good chance of doing well because I'm also ranked 11 in my class right now.
My life goal was to continue to dance for the rest of my life. Like I said before I'm getting closer to that goal because in a few years it will be my last year at my dance studio and I want to continue dance after high school. Whether I become a Rockette, become apart of a company, or get a job as a teacher I will do anything that keeps me dancing for the rest of my life until I can't dance anymore.
People Magazine
People Magazine Article
Naomi Wilbur is the sophomore class president this year at Ripon High. She has been so excited to be able to lead her class this year. “I really wanted to be class president because I wanted to be the change that made our class feel like a family and be more spirited,” she stated. Three months into the school year she feels that she has already accomplished this, but there is so much more that she and the sophomore officer team can do.
The sophomore class of 2022 took first place in the 2nd annual Lip Sync Night rally, and they also took first place in the class float competition. Wilbur said,”This homecoming was so amazing and spirited. I am so proud of our class because they definitely stepped up the spirit compared to last year, and it really did feel like we all became a family this homecoming.” She hopes to be able to lead her class and school in homecoming every year.
Wilbur is not only involved with leadership and clubs at school, but she works full time at her dance studio. She has been dancing at 5678 Dance studio in Modesto, CA for 13 years. She has been working there for 4 years. She loves taking classes with the friends she’s grown up with since they were all two years old. Wilbur also loves teaching and assisting. She was promoted to a Junior Instructor in July. Her favorite part about teaching younger dancers is knowing that she is impacting their lives just like her teachers impacted her life. Wilbur hopes that younger dancers look up to her the way she looked up to the girls who taught her.
When she’s not at school or at dance, Naomi enjoys relaxing with her friends and family. She loves to make Tik Toks with her best friends and hang out with them whenever she can. Wilbur has too many best friends, but she wants them all to know that she is so thankful and appreciative of all them. She has been so fortunate to have the same friends since preschool, throughout elementary school, and still have all of the same friends in high school. Wilbur loves that she has literally grown up with all of her friends in her small town because not many people can say that they have gone to school and grown up with so many people their whole lives. As much as she wants to leave Ripon, she knows that she will never be in another place like it.
After high school, she hopes to go to a four year college somewhere in a big city because she’s a homegrown small town girl, but she’s a city girl at heart. Wilbur doesn’t know what she wants to major in in college because that’s a hard question to ask a fifteen year old. Another option for her is to audition for the Radio City Rockettes when she is eighteen, and if she gets in, she will go to community college in New York. Wilbur has always dreamed of pursing dance as a career, but she knows that jobs in the dance industry aren’t always promising.
Something that Naomi really wants to practice is to get out of her comfort zone. But whenever she does get out of her comfort zone, she feels that it always backfires. She says that she wants to work on getting out of her comofort zone more often because it’s the only way she will grow as a person. Wilbur also wants unlearn her perfectionist tendencies because she is never going to grow or learn from her mistakes if she’s too worried about being perfect. It’s much easier said than done, but she hopes that it will become normal for everyone to be okay with failing and making mistakes because that’s the only way our world will ever progress. Naomi loves where she’s at in life right now, but she’s nervous and excited to learn more about herself.
The sophomore class of 2022 took first place in the 2nd annual Lip Sync Night rally, and they also took first place in the class float competition. Wilbur said,”This homecoming was so amazing and spirited. I am so proud of our class because they definitely stepped up the spirit compared to last year, and it really did feel like we all became a family this homecoming.” She hopes to be able to lead her class and school in homecoming every year.
Wilbur is not only involved with leadership and clubs at school, but she works full time at her dance studio. She has been dancing at 5678 Dance studio in Modesto, CA for 13 years. She has been working there for 4 years. She loves taking classes with the friends she’s grown up with since they were all two years old. Wilbur also loves teaching and assisting. She was promoted to a Junior Instructor in July. Her favorite part about teaching younger dancers is knowing that she is impacting their lives just like her teachers impacted her life. Wilbur hopes that younger dancers look up to her the way she looked up to the girls who taught her.
When she’s not at school or at dance, Naomi enjoys relaxing with her friends and family. She loves to make Tik Toks with her best friends and hang out with them whenever she can. Wilbur has too many best friends, but she wants them all to know that she is so thankful and appreciative of all them. She has been so fortunate to have the same friends since preschool, throughout elementary school, and still have all of the same friends in high school. Wilbur loves that she has literally grown up with all of her friends in her small town because not many people can say that they have gone to school and grown up with so many people their whole lives. As much as she wants to leave Ripon, she knows that she will never be in another place like it.
After high school, she hopes to go to a four year college somewhere in a big city because she’s a homegrown small town girl, but she’s a city girl at heart. Wilbur doesn’t know what she wants to major in in college because that’s a hard question to ask a fifteen year old. Another option for her is to audition for the Radio City Rockettes when she is eighteen, and if she gets in, she will go to community college in New York. Wilbur has always dreamed of pursing dance as a career, but she knows that jobs in the dance industry aren’t always promising.
Something that Naomi really wants to practice is to get out of her comfort zone. But whenever she does get out of her comfort zone, she feels that it always backfires. She says that she wants to work on getting out of her comofort zone more often because it’s the only way she will grow as a person. Wilbur also wants unlearn her perfectionist tendencies because she is never going to grow or learn from her mistakes if she’s too worried about being perfect. It’s much easier said than done, but she hopes that it will become normal for everyone to be okay with failing and making mistakes because that’s the only way our world will ever progress. Naomi loves where she’s at in life right now, but she’s nervous and excited to learn more about herself.
Admiration
One of the people that I admire most in the world is my mom. It wasn’t really until this year when I realized and appreciated my mom for everything she does. Of course I have always appreciated her, but I didn’t really ever realize the importance of everything she does. Because she literally does everything. And I don’t know what I would ever do without her. She teaches four periods of English a day, a period of yearbook which is always so stressful for her, she runs about five clubs, all while making real connections with her students, and then coming home to deal with her own kids and family. All while my mom is doing all of these time consuming activities and just dealing with life, she is leading her life in love, kindness, and acceptance. I admire everything my mom does. She knows how to make connections. She knows how to deal with people. She is so wise and I don’t know how she knows so much about the world and the way people work. Everything she does is always right. I admire her compassion for her students because she truly cares about them and their work and well being. For example, one of her students is moving schools today because his grandfather can no longer drive him to Ripon every day so he has to move schools and my mom told me that he is moving to his fourth high school. So she got him a card and a cake for her class as a little sending off, wishing him well party. She notices and makes connections with these students because she understands their struggle. She did not have the perfect life growing up so she can relate to her students that also have difficult situations. This is also what I admire about my mom because she has become so strong and grateful from her life experiences. Like she is so grateful for everything she has because she knows what it’s like to not have a lot. She takes her own experiences and tries to instill those experiences in me and my siblings, and her students. I admire that my mom works so hard in everything she does. Even though she is so tired all of the time, she will still stay up late to do work for her students. I admire my mom the most in the world.
Inner Animal
I think that my inner animal would be a wolf. First because I took a quiz and that’s what it said I am. And second, the reasoning for it is pretty accurate towards me I think. The wolf is said to be an expression of intelligence and strong instincts. I feel that I’m pretty intelligent because I want to be the best and smartest in everything, so I try really hard to do all of my work super well. Whether it’s my school work or my work at dance, I always want to be the best and I need recognition, even though I shouldn’t need it. Having the wolf as your spirit animal also means that you use your instincts to handle a situation well. I am always trying to handle every situation as best as possible because I want everyone to always end up happy in the end. I have learned how to handle situations well from experience and this has helped me become a better leader. The wolf being my spirit animal also means that I believe about living life powerfully and freely. Which really is me because everyone should feel powerful and valued in something they do.
The Best Things About Me I
The Best Things About Me II
Maybe I've done enough
And your golden child grew up
Maybe this trophy isn't real love
And with or without it I'm good enough
Maybe I've done enough
Finally catching up
For the first time I see an image of my brokenness
Utterly worthy of love
Maybe I've done enough
And I finally see myself
Through the eyes of no one else
It's so exhausting on this silver screen
Where I play the role of anyone but me
And I finally see myself
Unabridged and overwhelmed
A mess of a story I'm ashamed to tell
But I'm slowly learning how to break this spell
And I finally see myself
Now I only want what's real…
This song represents me because it's literally about me. I took the Ennegram test a few months ago and I learned that I am a type 3 personality. People who are type 3 want attention, to be admired, and want to impress others. We fear of being worthless and want to feel valuable and worthwhile. So there was a whole album created by the Ennegram Institute and all the songs on the album represent each personality type. I cried the first time I listened to this song because I had never related to a song as much as I did while listening to this. I really am trying to be the best and most perfect person for everyone else but I'm constantly overwhelmed and I want to change but I don't know how. I've been programmed to try to be perfect at all times and this is unrealistic but I just want to feel valued, recognized, and perfect. I am the golden child like the song says because I am the oldest, I know exactly what my parents want and need from me, and I just want to be the best child they have. I'm constantly competing with everyone else to be the best, but I'm really only competing with myself.
And your golden child grew up
Maybe this trophy isn't real love
And with or without it I'm good enough
Maybe I've done enough
Finally catching up
For the first time I see an image of my brokenness
Utterly worthy of love
Maybe I've done enough
And I finally see myself
Through the eyes of no one else
It's so exhausting on this silver screen
Where I play the role of anyone but me
And I finally see myself
Unabridged and overwhelmed
A mess of a story I'm ashamed to tell
But I'm slowly learning how to break this spell
And I finally see myself
Now I only want what's real…
This song represents me because it's literally about me. I took the Ennegram test a few months ago and I learned that I am a type 3 personality. People who are type 3 want attention, to be admired, and want to impress others. We fear of being worthless and want to feel valuable and worthwhile. So there was a whole album created by the Ennegram Institute and all the songs on the album represent each personality type. I cried the first time I listened to this song because I had never related to a song as much as I did while listening to this. I really am trying to be the best and most perfect person for everyone else but I'm constantly overwhelmed and I want to change but I don't know how. I've been programmed to try to be perfect at all times and this is unrealistic but I just want to feel valued, recognized, and perfect. I am the golden child like the song says because I am the oldest, I know exactly what my parents want and need from me, and I just want to be the best child they have. I'm constantly competing with everyone else to be the best, but I'm really only competing with myself.
Homecoming I
Homecoming II
What I Like Best About Being a Member of Leadership
What I like about being a member of leadership. There's so much that I love about it, but the memories and bonds that you can create with people is one of the best parts. One of my favorite parts was the Homecoming night rally this year. That night was so fun because I really feel like our whole class finally became a family. It was so fun to have everyone out there being spirited. And we got first place for our lip sync so it was really cool to have the support from a lot of people that usually don't participate by going out in front of everyone, but they were there to still have fun. When we found out who won the actual lip sync the whole sophomore section went crazy and it was so fun to have everyone be proud of something I created and helped put together.
Another one of my favorite leadership memories was putting on Winter Formal. It was so pretty this year and the other sophomore officers and I were so happy with how it turned out. We didn't have an exact plan of how we were going to decorate the cafeteria because our theme was kind of general so it was kind of hard. But it ended up looking so good. I am so glad that I was able to be able to contribute to that and create memories for so many people that night. That's probably one of my favorite parts of leadership overall because I am able to put on these events and do all the behind the scenes work for people to have a fun high school experience.
One of my most favorite memories this year has been getting so close with all the sophomores in leadership. We all have so much fun together and it's so fun to create memories with each other. We all understand one another and that makes it so fun and easy to work together since we're all like each other. We have the weirdest and worst inside jokes with all of us but that's what is so fun because nobody else understands us, but we think we're hilarious. Everyone else in leadership is probably so confused by us and thinks we're so annoying. I think some of our favorite memories are creating the whole MOMO thing, creating our 50s themed movie, doing the lip sync together, building our float, getting through Core Camp together, and really just learning a lot about ourselves together. The other sophomores are some of my best friends and I love being around them because we always have the best time together.
Another one of my favorite leadership memories was putting on Winter Formal. It was so pretty this year and the other sophomore officers and I were so happy with how it turned out. We didn't have an exact plan of how we were going to decorate the cafeteria because our theme was kind of general so it was kind of hard. But it ended up looking so good. I am so glad that I was able to be able to contribute to that and create memories for so many people that night. That's probably one of my favorite parts of leadership overall because I am able to put on these events and do all the behind the scenes work for people to have a fun high school experience.
One of my most favorite memories this year has been getting so close with all the sophomores in leadership. We all have so much fun together and it's so fun to create memories with each other. We all understand one another and that makes it so fun and easy to work together since we're all like each other. We have the weirdest and worst inside jokes with all of us but that's what is so fun because nobody else understands us, but we think we're hilarious. Everyone else in leadership is probably so confused by us and thinks we're so annoying. I think some of our favorite memories are creating the whole MOMO thing, creating our 50s themed movie, doing the lip sync together, building our float, getting through Core Camp together, and really just learning a lot about ourselves together. The other sophomores are some of my best friends and I love being around them because we always have the best time together.
Reflection of a Peer
The person I am reflecting in leadership is Lydia Waters. Lyds. We all love Lyds. This is only her first year in leadership but she does so well in everything she does. She fits right in with everyone and we love having her in our leadership family. All of the sophomores in leadership all joke around with each other and we always have so much fun together. Lydia is so good at her job. She keeps Link Crew and Renaissance so organized and everything gets done pretty efficiently. Lydia is also one of the most genuine people ever. She is so real with everything and she always has great input and advice. Lydia is the best person for her job because of her willingness and commitment to her job. I love Lyds and I think that she is a really great person who knows her strengths and she has grown a lot this year in leadership.
RHS Pride
What I Love to Do
My hobby is...DANCE. I don't think you would've ever guessed that Morty ;) But dance is not just a hobby for me, it's literally my lifestyle. I have been dancing for thirteen years and I have no Idea what I would do without dance. I love being able to just express my emotions through dance. It feels so good to just dance and not think about anything, just let everything out. I mostly do this with contemporary because it's more stylized and personal to what you want to do with it. But my favorite style is pointe. I love pointe because it just comes naturally to me and always wanted pointe shoes when I was younger. This is my fourth year being on pointe and I never want to stop doing it. I never want to stop dancing in general because it's such a huge part of my life that all of this would be such a waste if I ever stopped dancing. I want to do something with dance after high school but I don't really know what yet. I want to be a Rocket but we'll see ;)
Letter to My Parents
Dear Mom and Dad,
Thank you for everything that you do for me, Owen, and Emme. You both sacrifice so much for us and your lives are pretty much revolved around us, which I'm sorry about that because we all do so much and are kinda high maintenance. But you still do it anyway and we are all so thankful for that. Also, you have both become my best friends within the past few years. I think it's because I'm getting older and I understand more stuff now, so everything just seems funnier. I love that I can hang out with you both instead of my own friends, and you guys don't question it. But within the past few months I have realized that hanging out with my parents and family is more important than hanging out with my friends. You guys said something a while ago about how we all need to spend more time together as a family because I'm going to be away for college in two years, which seems kinda far away but it's going to go by so fast. Like I'm already going to be a junior in a few months, that's crazy. So thanks for letting me always hang out with you both because I've realized the importance of it and I hope you like me hanging with you guys too. Also thank you both for putting me in dance so young because I can't imagine my life without it, and thank you for driving me to the studio every day for the past thirteen years. I love you both so much and thank you for being my best friends.
- <3 Naomi
Thank you for everything that you do for me, Owen, and Emme. You both sacrifice so much for us and your lives are pretty much revolved around us, which I'm sorry about that because we all do so much and are kinda high maintenance. But you still do it anyway and we are all so thankful for that. Also, you have both become my best friends within the past few years. I think it's because I'm getting older and I understand more stuff now, so everything just seems funnier. I love that I can hang out with you both instead of my own friends, and you guys don't question it. But within the past few months I have realized that hanging out with my parents and family is more important than hanging out with my friends. You guys said something a while ago about how we all need to spend more time together as a family because I'm going to be away for college in two years, which seems kinda far away but it's going to go by so fast. Like I'm already going to be a junior in a few months, that's crazy. So thanks for letting me always hang out with you both because I've realized the importance of it and I hope you like me hanging with you guys too. Also thank you both for putting me in dance so young because I can't imagine my life without it, and thank you for driving me to the studio every day for the past thirteen years. I love you both so much and thank you for being my best friends.
- <3 Naomi
True Legacy
General advice for next years sophomore class president and the rest that will follow: learn how to manage many events at once. As a sophomore officer, every event you have comes one after the other for the whole year. You don't ever get a break from working because you always need to be planning many weeks in advance. For example, you will start the year by doing t shirt sales and while you're doing that you need to be planning for homecoming. As soon as homecoming is over you have to get started on winter formal. We started planning for formal while homecoming was still going on so it was a lot, but that is just part of the job. Along with formal you also have to be thinking about winterfest because you don't want to make the same mistake as us where we didn't even think about winterfest until about two weeks before everything had to be done. While we were still in the process of winterfest we started planning for coin wars. Even then we did not know the exact plan for coin wars until about a week before. So even though you will have so much going on and never get a break, map out your year and just keep it in the back of your mind that you have an event coming up. Another piece of advice is to know that there will always be people who are going to hate and be unsatisfied with what you are doing but as long as you are doing your best, it does not matter and just be classy about it. There were people this year that were hating on our homecoming float just because they were mad that they lost. We did nothing wrong, and it just sucked that we were being put down. But don't give in to their ignorance because they probably don't know how much hard work it takes to do everything you guys will have to do.
Do's and Don'ts
- use Events 22 for formal if you can afford to use some of their stuff
- plan and finalize decorations weeks in advance
- make Coin Wars more competitive (everyone was mad at us this year)
- take a lot of videos and pictures
- make prices for formal $20 and $25
- choose your homecoming theme wisely
- ask the other sophomores in leadership for help (they want to help)
- wait last minute to order anything
- waste time, energy, or money on stuff that will not benefit you in the long run
- wait for someone to tell you to get started on an event (you should have a timeline of everything you do so you know when to start)
- rely on non-leadership kids to be too committed to helping you with anything
- forget that you don't get any breaks so plan ahead!
- plan and finalize decorations weeks in advance
- make Coin Wars more competitive (everyone was mad at us this year)
- take a lot of videos and pictures
- make prices for formal $20 and $25
- choose your homecoming theme wisely
- ask the other sophomores in leadership for help (they want to help)
- wait last minute to order anything
- waste time, energy, or money on stuff that will not benefit you in the long run
- wait for someone to tell you to get started on an event (you should have a timeline of everything you do so you know when to start)
- rely on non-leadership kids to be too committed to helping you with anything
- forget that you don't get any breaks so plan ahead!
The Contact List
Events 22, Michelle K.
202 E. Main Street, Ripon, CA
(209) 552-5969
Sounds in Motion, Maliakekaimanuhia Kailiponi
931 10th Street, Modesto, CA
(209) 522-5999
My Little Balloon Co., Denise S.
144 Woodrow Ave, Modesto, CA
(209) 524-2882
202 E. Main Street, Ripon, CA
(209) 552-5969
Sounds in Motion, Maliakekaimanuhia Kailiponi
931 10th Street, Modesto, CA
(209) 522-5999
My Little Balloon Co., Denise S.
144 Woodrow Ave, Modesto, CA
(209) 524-2882
The Professional
Two of the main professional learning aspects that were learned this year was public speaking and resumes and cover letters. Public speaking was very important this year. It's important every year but it seemed even harder this year because whenever we had anything to do with public speaking, Mr. Hobbs was always in there (thanks Morty). So, it was a lot scarier this year for me because I did not want to get criticized by him. But I feel that my public speaking skills did get better throughout the year. I became comfortable with the class pretty quickly so it wasn't ever really scary speaking in front of the class like it was my freshman year. Public speaking is going to be apart of everyone's life at some point. So we are learning these skills now because these skills will set us apart from someone else in the real world. Another aspect of professional development was resumes and cover letters. These will be helpful to everyone at some point in their life, too. We had professionals come in to talk about cover letters and resumes. They told us the DOs and DONTs which was very helpful because they are real professionals who know what they are looking for, and what is acceptable in the real world. Although we aren't going to get to have mock interviews and use our resumes and cover letters, they are still good to have so we can continue to update them.
Change
This year as a leader, I feel that I stepped up and thoroughly fulfilled my position. Something that I would like to change for next year is to continue my motivation throughout the year. As a sophomore officer most of the events I had to plan were all back to back. For example we had t shirt sales, homecoming, winter formal, winterfest, and then coin wars. So we finished every event, but once we were done with one, we had to move on to the next right away. So in doing that, it just made me feel kind of burnt out by December. SO something that I would like to change for myself would to have more balance in my life. For junior year I won't have as many events that are back to back, but it's also the hardest year for school so I really need to learn how to take care of myself. Because there were multiple times where I just felt like I had to stop everything, but then I couldn't stop because there was always something for me to do. I also need to change the way I ask for help and when I ask for it. Because the thing is, I don't ask for help very often because I want to be independent and it's just hard for me because I know everyone has so much stuff going on so I don't want to bother them either. But I need to know that there are people who will help me so I just need to ask for help! Right now in quarantine is a good time for me to explore balance and find what makes me happy and clears my anxiety so that when we go back to school, I will be a healthier and happier person. So my change that I wish I made last year was to ask for help because sometimes you really can't do everything on your own.
The Ideal Leader
The ideal leader is something all leadership students should strive to be. SHOULD. But to be the ideal leader I feel that no one can exactly be everything within the criteria of what they should do. Being a leader is a learning experience because you learn what works, what doesn’t, and how to work with people. To me, an ideal leader is someone who is good with people. They have the social capacity to effectively connect with people. For example, they would be able to communicate and have a real conversation with people; not just the surface level things but be able to go deeper and learn more about that person. Another aspect of being an ideal leader would be having the knowledge of how to lead people. They should know that not everyone is going to follow through with their job, and that’s not neccesarily okay but it’s just what happens in life. The ideal leader should also be confident. Confidence is something that a lot of people struggle with and I have struggled with it my whole life up until these past two years. Confidence has to be built up over time and once it’s there it will just start blossoming and you will see all sorts of things that you’re capable of that you didn’t even know you could achieve. If a leader is not confident with themself then how can they expect their suboridnates to respect and follow them. In my personal experience having a confident leader to follow has helped with my own confidence because then you are seeing how someone should respect themself. Being inspiring is also another quality that the ideal leader should have. I think that the main goal of leadership is to inspire others in hopes that they will also try to improve things for others. It then becomes this chain reaction of people being inspired to do better. If one person is inspired by anything and they pursue their inspiration, all of these other leadership qualities will naturally follow. Being inspired leads to communicating with more people to hopefully inspire them also. Then talking to those people and leading them will build a sense of confidence. So all of these ideal qualities just follow after the other.