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As the school year comes to a close, students start to look forward to hot summer vacations and hanging with friends. For junior Maddie Reihs however the upcoming summer will be full of planning, meetings, and constant preparation for the school year ahead. As other students relax, Reihs will be continually on the move because of the fact that for the 2015-2016 school year students have elected Reihs as their student body president. In the upcoming year Reihs will represent all the students at this school and work to improve their lives in high school. However, unlike most, Reihs is not the stereotypical uptight student looking to enhance her college resume.

With a family of four and the position of editor-in-chief of the newspaper Reihs enjoys babysitting, watching Netflix, hanging out, and eating as her hobbies. This seventeen year old is also dating sophomore Matt Berry. As a freshmen, Reihs was a freshman representative in Student Senate and build on her experience when her sophomore year, Reihs was sophomore class president and in her junior year, was vice president. Though nervous, Reihs is ready for next year partly due to her past experience and how that allows her to form an understanding of what she will have to do as student body president.

“I think my experience especially will help because most people do not really understand what the president does, just that they are the president and they are the ones talking at the meetings basically. But they are the ones at events, they organize, they make sure that events are going in the way they are supposed to. Their workload is so much more in depth and extensive than the other members. But it would not work out if the other member were not helping out too,” said Reihs.

Future student body vice president junior Jordan Gregory will be working with Reihs in the upcoming year and is looking forward to the experience.

¨Maddie has great determination and qualities of a leader. She is responsible, respectable, and kind to everyone she meets. She has been in Student Senate every year she has been in high school and has been committed to doing her job the entire time, she will be perfect for the position of president. Her personality will give her good feedback from the members of Senate because she is the type of person everyone wants to be friends with,” said Gregory.

Before the election, Reihs campaigned to her peers by  hanging up posters and talking to other students encouraging them to vote for her. For Reihs winning the election meant a lot to her so she can continue to accomplish the goals she has for next year.

¨This year we kind of introduced this committee idea where we break up everyone in Student Senate into a specific committee and then those committees have a special job. Its just a great idea like advertising committee will make all the posters for all the events that we are doing and update the powerpoint in the cafeteria. There is the fundraising committee, school service, and school spirit. And so my main goal this year is to organize that system as best as we can. Since this year we kind of started it in the middle of the year next year what I want to do is make sure it’s organized so that when we leave it next year the next year’s students have a better starting point,” said Reihs. “I also want to provide a feedback element to all the events we do so we can ask the community and the students what they feel we could have done better. To build a better form of communication so we do not just keep putting out events the same way every year but we are improving our quality of events.¨

In addition to wanting to improve the quality of events and the organization of Student Senate the seventeen year old has her own personal reasons for running for president.

¨I wanted to become student body president because I felt like I understood the job and I felt like I could do that job. I just felt like I was passionate enough about it to do it. And I have been in Student Senate all four years and I have understood it, I have seen the back end of it, the behind the scenes, and I have seen what the president does and I just felt like I could handle it. I finally decided to just do it and run,¨ said Reihs.

Looking back on her political career helps Reihs has a clear picture on how she primarily came to option all the leadership skills.

“It all started with SLT in middle school but SLT is so much different than Student Senate. Most of the skills I have gained are from high school. The middle school SLT you are just the smiling face behind it,” said Reihs.

For sponsor Jeff Moore watching Reihs progress since she was a freshmen to become the leader she is today has been a worthwhile experience.

¨Maddie has definitely grown significantly. She has become much more responsible, much more charismatic as a leader. I think that is why people like to follow her, because of her charisma and her friendly demeanor that she has,¨ said Moore.

After finishing up high school Reihs plans on continuing to use her leadership experience in other aspects of her life.

¨I do not plan on pursuing the political aspect but letting this be a learning experience for me. This helps me shape who I am and gaining skills I can use no matter where I go in life, no matter what job I have, no matter who I become,” said Reihs.

For students having Reihs as their student body president means a whole new future for the next year to come. Looking forward to this opportunity with excitement and nerves Reihs feels ready to take on this monumental task with determination and open mind. Students can be hopeful for a new and improved school year in 2015-2016.