As the 2015-2016 school year is drawing to a close, many leadership changes are coming to the groups at CHS.

Class of 2019

Honors Matter and Energy teacher Jonathan Lee will be taking over as sponsor for the Class of 2019 as current sponsor, English teacher Shelley Perrett will be running the SGA.

This will be Lee’s first leadership position at CHS. During his time as the class sponsor, he hopes to add a new perspective to the current SGA. As Lee is a new teacher at CHS, this new, and deeper involvement with the class of 2019 will allow him to become more involved in and help the CHS entire community.

“When it became clear that I would be given the opportunity to work at CHS, it was a career dream come true,” Lee said. “Thus, naturally, I would enjoy any opportunity to become more invested in the CHS community so that I can become more of an asset to the school and to the students. I am most excited about new opportunities for myself to grow as a community leader, and for the opportunity to see my students devote themselves to something that they care greatly about and to see them grow throughout the entirety of their high school careers.”

According to Lee, his experience as a former member of the United States Army Ranger Special Forces has provided him perspective on the importance of leadership.

“I can attest that leadership responsibilities changed ownership on a fairly regularly [basis] due to various circumstances,” Lee said. “In that respect, and despite the clear differences in context, I am less nervous about taking on this role than I am eager to. I know that I have the resources and expertise of my fellow class sponsors and of a very capable and spirited student body to rely on.”

SGA

English teacher Shelley Perrett is stepping down as the Class of 2019 sponsor to lead CHS’ Student Government Association (SGA) after current sponsor, Orly Santos, stepped down.

When the CHS SGA position was made available to staff at CHS, Perrett applied and was selected for the position.

“I am looking forward to continuing the traditions here at CHS and hopefully implementing some new ones,” Perrett said. “After Homecoming Week, school spirit and student involvement are at their peak, but then students and staff become busy with academics.”

Perrett hopes to add a kickoff event such as a carnival or race to begin the school year in order to improve school pride and spirit and get more student and staff participation. She also wants to make a social media account that all students follow so everyone can be informed about school events.

Overall, she is “looking forward to positive changes, bringing staff and students together, and improving turnout at all events.”

The Observer

The Observer’s current adviser Kelly Knarr is stepping down as the newspaper adviser and Journalism teacher at the end of this school year. She will remain an English teacher at CHS.

English teacher Mary Dempsey will be the new Observer adviser and Journalism teacher.

Dempsey is hoping to bring a larger arts and photojournalism perspective to the paper.

“I’m excited to connect with more students and to work with them on creating a product that is an essential part of school communication,” Dempsey said. “I’m hoping that I can help the Observer continue to be a trusted and valued source of information and entertainment for students. I’m also excited to learn more about InDesign, editing [and] publishing.”