The class of 2027 has arrived, and they’re here to stay, for four more years, at least. The new freshmen class has arrived in numbers. The total enrollment at Arcata has jumped from 942 students last year to over 1,000 this year, one of the largest student populations ever at AHS. So who has taken on the responsibility of leading such a large class?
First and foremost is the class president, freshman Aaron Sanford. Coming from NPA Middle School, Aaron is optimistic about the year and is taking his leadership role very seriously. “I hope to make a lot of improvements…on the campus, on the system, and on the general wellbeing of our class,” Sanford said.
Sanford ran for the presidential position because, “I thought it would teach me more leadership skills than I already have, and I wanted to help our class,” Sanford said.
While he didn’t face much opposition in the election, Sanford believes he was elected because “I took campaigning super seriously. I took a lot of time and energy to do that.” Furthermore, Aaron believes he is qualified for such a position. “I’m a good leader. I’m good at decision-making,” he said.
Similarly, Mya Collenberg, who will be taking the secretary position, believes that she is also the right choice for the position. “I think that I’m really organized. I like to stay on top of everything. I have experience managing my grades and sports really well, so I think I’ll be good at staying on top of notes and stuff,” Collenberg said. While she faced no opposition in the election, She ran because she wanted to be involved on campus this year. “I thought that class secretary would be a good position to do that from,” Collenberg said. She is also very excited about the upcoming year. “I think I’m most excited to help promote things for the class of 2027, and I’m excited to just keep it fun,” Collenberg said.
Kloe Bryant, who will be taking on the responsibilities of class treasurer this year, already has ideas in mind for how to run the class. “I think [the freshmen class] wants a fun year, and just to be able to put on events that will be fun, to kind of make school a little easier,” Bryant said.
However, Collenberg and Sanford both foresee challenges. Sanford believes that it will be a challenge to organize his class. “As freshmen, we don’t really have as many organizational skills as the other classes, so that could be an issue,” he said. Collenberg, on the other hand, believes that engagement might be the biggest issue. “I think the biggest challenge will be probably getting everyone engaged. Our class is kind of all over the place,” Collenberg said.
The freshmen class believes they are in good hands. Freshman Ezekiel Lee, who voted for Sanford, said, “He seems like a pretty organized guy. He had a good campaign, and I figured if he could put that together, he could put together other stuff for us as well.” Freshman Bella Decarli also commented. “The secretary and vice president had really convincing arguments for being elected and they all seem very passionate,” Decarli said.
Overall, it looks like these officers will foster a strong year for the freshmen class. “I’m excited to work with and meet my fellow class leaders. So far, nobody’s come up to me asking for any changes, but when that happens, we’ll all be happy to oblige,” Sanford said.
