New 2019-2020 SBO President Nick Handy Looks Forward To A United Year

Banners waved in the air while streams of students came out of the front doors of the school. The big announcement had just been made over the speakers regarding the election and now people were enjoying doughnuts outside of the campus. One by one they each got marked off to get a doughnut as the results sunk in. Congratulations and conversations then ensued across the grounds.

After all the rush, the new student body president for the 2019-2020 school year walks out to interact. After an eventful election season filled with colorful posters, huge banners, and various skits, Highland chose Nick Handy as the new SBO president.

Getting to this point took a lot of work from making the posters and orchestrating a skit, but Handy is more than grateful to get this position of leadership.

“[My opponents] deserved this just as much as I did, but I feel pretty good now and I feel like I can do a good job next year,” Handy said. “I hope that people will accept me as the president and that I can serve everyone at this school.”

Handy’s job as student body president will include leading the other SBOs in their individual positions to help make the next school year run smoothly. While he is ready to get focused on filling the current SBO president Will Dale’s duties, he has a vision for where he wants Highland to be. As president Handy would love to spread the message that everyone has a place at this school and there are ways to get involved.

“My goal next year is just to make everybody feel included and like there is something they can do at Highland,” Handy said. “And that there is a club for everybody, there is a sport for everybody, and I just want to get people more involved.”

Along with spreading inclusion Handy wants to help address mental health at the school. It is an issue that has not gotten a ton of attention in the past and he wants to change things.

“I want to work on the mental health of our students here,” Handy said. “With the past things that happened this last year, I think next year it would be pretty ignorant not to work on these things and just make every kid come to school feeling like it’s a safe place and not a place they should dread.”

Handy admitted the whole running process was stressful for him and seeing how good everyone else was always made him strive to give one hundred percent of his effort. Yet, with the election behind him, he is excited for what the future will bring.