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After a week of campaign and competition, NS elected five new Student Body Officers for the 2025-26 school year. Ellie Finlinson was elected as president, Maxwell Cox as vice president, Emma Wallace as secretary, Kyson Taylor as activity agent and Emma Evans as media specialist.
Ellie Finlinson, President
One of Finlinson’s ideas for the upcoming school year was more inclusion of Special Education kids in school activities.
“Something you always hear is we need more inclusion in student sections, but I want to go beyond that,” Finlinson said.
Key components such as unified sports and whole school engagement have been reached at NS, but to be a true champion school, the leadership aspect still needs to be accomplished. A champion school is a program that promotes social inclusion by bringing students with and without intellectual disabilities together in various activities.
“They would get jackets, and lead assemblies with us, basically do everything an SBO does, which would make them feel included and represented,” Finlinson said.
Finlinson has also reached out to influential advocates beyond the school community for this project.
“I’ve talked to so many people like first lady Abby Cox for this and representatives for special education people for this,” Finlinson said.
Beyond planning for next year, Finlinson emphasizes that her motivation as upcoming president comes from personal place.
“I want people to know that I really do care,” Finlinson said, “I really want to see my peers succeed.”
Maxwell Cox, Vice President
Halftime shows can be what keeps an audience engaged in between games. Cox hopes to implement more activities and student involvement to make this time more exciting.
“I think it will give people an incentive to go to games more,” Cox said.
Beyond boosting school spirit and attendance at events, Cox sees this initiative as a chance to build a stronger sense of community.
“I’m excited to be a part of something like this and not just volleyball,” Cox said. “I’m really excited to be able to contribute to the high school.”
Cox also aims to foster a more inclusive environment for incoming freshmen, ensuring that they are integrated to the school as full participants, not just underclassmen.
“I hope that transitioning from middle school to highschool doesn’t make them feel like just freshmen, but also participants who should get involved in activities,” Cox said.
While helping with the transition for freshmen, Cox intends to fulfill responsibilities and contribute to school success.
“I’m going to do my part in making highschool great and I hope that it will go well,” Cox said.
Emma Wallace, Secretary
Campaign week was when the N and S teams that were chosen the week before would persuade the school to vote for the individuals on the team. While it was time consuming, Wallace learned time management and responsibility were a priority.
“Managing my time was a big thing for me as well as remembering that I chose to do it because I love it and not saying, ‘I’m doing too much. I have to be stressed’,” Wallace said.
Wallaces focus on balance in her responsibilities helps her approach different school needs. A way of doing this is collaboration with various school groups.
“I want to meet with representatives from different clubs and organizations so that we can come up with ways to meet our school’s needs in those areas,” Wallace said.
Beyond organized collaboration, Wallace emphasizes the importance of fostering a positive and honest school environment.
“Overall I just want to help create a school with no judgement and that is humble, kind and hardworking because I think those qualities can help push our school to reach big accomplishments,” Wallace said.
Kyson Taylor, Activity Agent
Crowds are an essential part to support teams and improve performance. Taylor’s idea is to have a bigger crowd at games consisting of middle schoolers that can help boost morale and energy at not highly attended games.
“I think we can invite them to sit at the student sections and learn cheers or give them their own section,” Taylor said, “It changes the entire game, it’ll be louder and more energetic,” Taylor said.
While also hoping to increase participation at events as a way to elevate school spirit and energy, Taylor hopes to strengthen the sense of community and encourage greater involvement among students.
“I want to bring people closer and just have them be more involved,” Taylor said.
Emma Evans, Media Specialist
While sports are important in NS culture, Evans hopes to not only host events after or during sports activities, but also different clubs and organizations.
“We do a lot after sports games, but I also want to have activities for everyone who isn’t as interested in sports,” Evans said.
Recognizing that not all students are drawn to athletics, Evans hopes to create more inclusive events that appeal to a broader range of interests.
“I think it would be so fun to have a game night where esports and other clubs host a whole bunch of games in the commons for everyone,” Evans said.
While focusing on bringing students together with different events, Evans also acknowledges that leadership means knowing how to handle disagreements.
“I think it’s so important to look at both sides of things and look at other people’s opinions,” Evans said. “The best thing to do is have reasoning and ask others what they think also.”
Looking ahead to next year, Evans is focused on representing everyone and hopes others share the same enthusiasm.
“I’m so excited to represent everyone and I hope everyone else is just as excited as I am for next year,” Evans said.
