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The Student News Site of Arcata High School

The Pepperbox

The Pepperbox

Navigating life and school after an attempt
Navigating life and school after an attempt
Ell Franklin and Anthony Vasek November 3, 2023
“I’ve been focusing more on myself and what I need because I used to be a really bad people pleaser. I’ve always put everyone else first before me.”
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The CCLL Leadership team 

(top row, left to right: Erika Homan, Carolyn van Mantgem, Melanie Zapper, Taylor Nada, Tim Clewell.
bottom row, left to right: Johanna Mauro, Fionn Conroy, Kayla Gaskill)
Hello CCLL!
Taylor Nada, Online Editor • December 7, 2023
This year, the Arcata Arts Institute joined a new program known as the Creative Careers Leadership Lab (CCLL), an organization aimed at helping art students gain skills to succeed in future careers in the arts.  
Pepperbox Broadcast
Pepperbox Broadcast
Rey Barber, Art Director • November 17, 2023
“It’s the first time we’ve ever had a broadcast,” Kloe Bryant said, “so it’s really just testing everything out,”
Difference Between America and Other Countries
Shu Yamashita November 14, 2023
“In Italy, we have just one class and the same classmates, we don’t change classes. We have been in the same class for four years. We have twelve subjects,”
Is study hall really for studying?
Kyndle Eisner, Production Manager • November 14, 2023
“I feel like it’s less strict than last year, but the pass system is stupid and doesn’t work.”

Freshman class leaders gear up for the year

“So far, nobody’s come up to me asking for any changes, but when that happens, we’ll all be happy to oblige,”
Freshman+class+officers+pictured+left+to+right%3A+Kloe+Bryant%2C+Mya+Colenberg%2C+Aaron+Sanford%2C+and+Clara+Morris
Audrey Dart/PEPPERBOX
Freshman class officers pictured left to right: Kloe Bryant, Mya Colenberg, Aaron Sanford, and Clara Morris

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.

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About the Contributor
Henry Lee, Opinion Editor
Henry Lee is an avid reader, writer, camper, and sometimes even a good student. He loves Humboldt County, where he lives, and his interest in local business and culture lead him to write about current happenings and events around town. He has been a finalist in the Redwood Writing Contest twice and co-founded an amateur newspaper in middle school. You can reach him by email.
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