Senior Class Secretary

Jessie Peterson

Candidate Video

Question and Answer

Question #1: What are two initiatives you will work on as a Class Officer next year if you are elected?

If elected, I will strive to advocate for every student at Cottonwood, especially those who often go unnoticed. I would love to foster a community that supports each other; as much as I love how much fun the student body has basketball and football games, I’d love to see us rally around other groups such as performing arts and unified sports with the same Colt Pride. I will also try to strengthen communication between the faculty and student body. Oftentimes I find teachers and students frustrated because they weren’t informed about certain events. Strong communication creates a cohesive classroom environment and will reduce unnecessary tension between teachers and their students.

Question #2: What does it mean to you to be a Colt?

To me, being a Colt means being a teammate. While many of us are on teams of our own, being part of the Cottonwood Community binds us all together. I love going to Dance Company and hanging out with people who have similar goals as me, but even more so I love spending time with my friends in Theater and Basketball. At the end of the day, we are all looking to enjoy our high school experiences and leave Cottonwood better than we found it. It is such a privilege to work alongside hundreds of other students as we support each other in achieving our goals as individuals while also contributing to bettering our school. 

Question #3: What is one way you would develop activities to make everyone at Cottonwood feel welcome and included?

One way I would develop activities to make everyone feel included is to thoughtfully consider the strengths and interests of the different groups of people here at Cottonwood. Sometimes inclusivity comes without any consideration, which just makes people feel uncomfortable. Especially because there are a lot of students out there that don't want to participate in major events like assemblies, so it's important to find behind-the-scenes ways to make them feel included. As a member of Dance Company, I know I'd feel a little bit uncomfortable and out of place if I were invited to be part of the Students vs. Teachers basketball game. As a class officer I would take note of what different people take an interest in and work from there. 

Question #4: What advice do you have to stay motivated with attendance and academics throughout the year?

My best advice for staying academically motivated is to surround yourself with hard-working and goal oriented people. Research conducted by sources such as Northwestern University suggest that behaviors and attitudes are contagious. I have found this to be true in my own life and I often adopt certain traits from the people I spend the most time around. Making an effort to spend time with positive influences greatly enhances motivation and academic performance

Question #5: What are some qualities that make a great leader?

Qualities that make great leaders include but are not limited to: strong communication, assertiveness, decisiveness, and most importantly, seeing everyone else as their equal. It is not uncommon for individuals in leadership positions to become overly focused on their authority and begin to view their peers as less than themselves. I know this all too well– as high schoolers we often see one another as competition and begin to view leadership roles as trophies instead of responsibilities. Great leaders remember that they work for the people they’re leading, not the other way around. 

Question #6: What is a leadership quality you have and how will it help you be a good Class Officer at Cottonwood?

The strongest leadership quality I possess is my organization. I see this as an overarching skill that strengthens all other leadership abilities. By keeping everything organized, I am able to manage my time well, stay efficient, and complete all of my tasks. Junior year, my goal was to involve myself in as much as possible. Between rigorous classes and extracurriculars ranging from performing arts to Mock Trial, I had no choice but to stay on top of everything. Through this, I learned to prioritize effectively and fulfill all of my commitments, ensuring that I could be a reliable and present team member for every group I was part of.

Question #7: What specific qualifications do you have for your intended position?

I found the Secretary position to be the most appealing because I have always taken pride in my writing and my ability to communicate with adults. As someone who loves to read and write, I believe I could write high quality assembly scripts and persuasive emails. I have hands-on experience in this area through Mock Trial, where a major part of my role involved writing scripts. I also attended StoryCon 2026 where I learned about different tones and voices when writing, giving me a solid foundation for maintaining a professional tone when communicating with faculty. 

Task

List of Groups: 

• Peer Leadership 

• Ballroom 

• Dance Company 

• LIA 

• Creative Writing 

• Cheer 

Subject: Invitation to Participate in Upcoming Assembly

Dear [Insert Group Name],

I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to invite your group to participate in our upcoming assembly on [Insert Date]. Student Government would greatly appreciate your help with [Insert Activity].

Please let me know if this would be possible or if you need any additional support from us. Thank you so much for your time and consideration—we look forward to collaborating with you!

Warmly,
Jessie Peterson
Senior Class Secretary

Assembly Script: 

*Assembly will be run in order of grades. The SBO’s will do the welcome and dismissal. Activities will be run by class officers in ascending order, starting with Freshmen*

Welcome by SBO’s: 

Student Body President: Welcome to the 2026 Homecoming Assembly! My name is Henry Bowles and I am so excited to invite the entire student body to participate in all of our fun games, starting with our Human Sentence game run by our Freshmen class officers: 

Freshman Officer: For this activity, we’d like to invite our Creative Writing club to help us out! *creative writing club takes the floor and selects additional students if needed* 

Freshman Officer 2: Split into teams! *2 or 3 depending on amount of participants* Each person will be given a word from a sentence. You must keep your word a secret. When I say “Go” you have to act out your word to your teammates and arrange yourselves in the correct order. The first team to create the sentence wins! 

*Freshmen announce the winners* 

*Sophomore officers introduce their activity following a similar format. Game ideas include Hungry Hungry Hippos and Finish the Lyrics.* 

SBO Vice President: Now it’s time to take a quick break from games to enjoy one of Cottonwood’s longest traditions: our combined performance including Cheer, Dance Company, and Drill Team! 

*Watch performance then allow Junior officers to take over* 

Junior Officer: That was amazing! Now it’s time for us to play another game! Can we please get 3 volunteers from every grade to play musical chairs? 

*Play musical chairs and Junior officers will announce the winner. The winner’s grade will earn a point* 

*Senior officers will introduce and lead an activity following a similar format. A possible game could be a Dress-Up Relay. Two students from each grade are selected, preferably students in Unified Sports. Each student will be racing to get from one side of the gym to another. Along the way they will have to put on gym clothes (step 1 is a jersey, step 2 is shorts, step 3 is a jacket) and then they have to make a lay-up. Once the student has made a lay-up, they have to run back removing the clothes in the same order. They give their teammate a high-five which allows the teammate to begin. The first duo to make it to the finish line earns their grade a point!*  

Dismissal will be led by the Student Body President.