On Wednesday October 8, Shepaug students got in the booths and voted on representatives to lead their class.  After weeks of drama and debates, everything was settled. Are the elected officials the right choices to lead their class? What are the qualities of a good class president? We looked to the experienced faculty and staff for insight.

Mrs. Youngblood has been a teacher at Shepaug for over ten years and has seen many class presidents succeed and struggle.

Among the important characteristics of a class president are “being inclusive and distributing leadership, and also having a strong sense of purpose,” according to Youngblood.

She suggested the students should go into their presidency with a clear goal to accomplish and “have a good sense of organization.”

Voting is not always based on leadership qualities, however. Sometimes selection is a popularity vote, which can negatively impact the future of a class if that person doesn’t have good leadership and organizational skills.

Youngblood suggested sometimes people value votes differently, and may vote based on popularity and friendship. This sentiment was validated by Jim Stinson, another veteran teacher.

“Freshman and sophomore year are sometimes (not always) influenced by popularity,” said Stinson. By the time students are juniors and seniors, however, this can change because students realize the importance of successful fundraisers in order to support their prom and senior trips.

Stinson also told us that a good class president can be trusted to work hard and get the job done. Good presidents work for the interest of the whole class, even if they don’t fully agree.  

Matt Perachi, dean of students at Shepaug, felt good class presidents should take their responsibilities seriously.

“A good class president respects their position,” said Perachi. “ They get things done, and are good listeners.”

The role of a class president is time consuming, and prioritizing is important. If a class president is hard working and organized, great things can happen. For example, a previous Shepaug class made enough money to go to Disney World for their class trip. Good luck class officers of 2017/18!

Go follow our Instagram @shepaugchronicle, twitter @SVSchronicle and facebook @svscoronicle to find out who your class president is and what their plans are for the future!