The Leadership classes, which are responsible for many events around OHS including Mr. OHS and a blood drive, experienced a record-breaking flood of applicants this year. A relatively new class that has only been effect for severals years after Ms. Becky Czuppon implemented it, word had spread. Almost 90 applied to be part of the class during their senior year.

After it became clear that it was necessary to make cuts, an extensive application process was put into place by a panel that included Ms. Amy Learn, Ms. Becky Czuppon, and Ms. Jennifer Gross. Applicants had to fill out a lengthy packet detailing what they were involved in, what they were hoping to learn, and what they thought made them a leader. They also had to schedule a personal interview with the panel; grades, discipline records, and extracurriculars were factors, and students were warned that their accounts on several websites were being looked at as well.

Still, some were unhappy with the results. An OHS student with one of the highest GPAs in her grade was told she was “overqualified” for the class. Others wondered why some of their classmates were chosen over them if grades and disciplinary records were as big a factor as they were led to believe.

“I think they just drew names out of a hat,” said one upset student. “I’m not clear on the process.”

A meeting had to be held to explain to the students who did not make it that it was nothing they had done wrong. There the interviewers explained that it was just that many of them were “already leaders” and that they had to give their classmates a turn.

“I don’t understand what they were looking for,” said Amy Kaznica (11), who applied for the class and attended the second meeting.

Hopefully, the reasoning behind the selections will become clear next semester, and those who did not make it into Leadership will continue trying to be leaders all the same.