Past student body president looks back on 2001

When Brian Rebholtz returns to school on Monday, he will be embarking on the final leg of his journey through high school but will also close the door on his political career there.

"Being student body president just gave me the chance to get involved in Carson High School," he said. "It let me work with other kids who wanted the same thing that I did so we could make the school better for people coming up."

Rebholtz and other student body officers will leave office on Jan. 20 after a year of service.

And, looking back, he thinks he left the school a little better than it was.

He marks his greatest successes by the number of students involved in the activities he and other council members planned.

"When everyone comes together, that's when our school is really awesome," Rebholtz said. "If you're not involved in high school -- the extra stuff -- you miss out on a lot. There is a tremendous amount you can't learn in a classroom."

One of those times was the annual Homecoming Dance. Traditionally a semi-formal affair, student council members fought to make it a casual dance after the football game this year.

"We had an amazing turnout -- especially from the underclassmen," he said. "We had more people there than we'd ever had in my four years. It was great because we got the freshmen involved early on."

Other changes took even more work. Rebholtz and other officers heard that Silverado High School in Las Vegas held the best pep assemblies in the state.

So they headed south to check it out for themselves.

"We saw what they did and we came back and put on a Christmas assembly," he recounted. "We had a huge turnout, which is really hard because it was the last thing before Christmas break and most kids usually just leave."

The biggest change to the assemblies was a shift in focus.

"As student council, we usually put ourselves in the spotlight by doing skits and stuff," Rebholtz explained. "We got away from that this year. We let kids in the high school showcase their talents and their abilities so their peers could see. It went over really well."

In addition to sharing in triumph, council members also shared in tragedy.

Rebholtz said the leadership class felt a sense of responsibility after Sept. 11 to help unite the students.

They planned a patriotic rally over the lunch hour and had one of the largest student body turnouts ever.

"People from every sect of the school showed up," he said. "We set up the activity but it was the students that made it happen. We just opened the door. Really, our whole school took care of each other for Sept. 11."

Not only does he hope the school is better off for his service, he hopes he is better off personally as well.

"It definitely helped me grow," he said. "I learned a lot of things about myself and I also learned to act under pressure, which I'm sure will help me in college."

He plans to attend the University of New Hampshire with a four-year, $30,000 scholarship and major in biology and a minor in environmental conservation.

New student body officers will be sworn in during a weekend ceremony in two weeks. Megan Petterson will be the next student body president. Her term will end January 2003.

Outgoing student body officers

President: Brian Rebholtz

Vice president: Kathryn Callister

Secretary: Deborah Crounk

Treasurer: Cicely Valenti

Historian: Jennifer Satterfield

Public relations: Ash Dauenhauer

School board representative: Ashley Allen