Women in Leadership at Green

At Green High School, there are a variety of clubs and activities offered for all students to participate in. Through these activities, students have the opportunity to learn leadership skills especially through holding officer positions. The Paw Print Staff notices a majority of the clubs here at GHS are predominantly female based in leadership and participation. Not to mention, many of these women are seniors which opens an opportunity for lower classmen to take charge and gain leadership skills. As it is Women’s History Month, it’s time we give a shout out to the females working the leadership magic around the school.

Catherine Smith ‘24:
Catherine Smith ‘24 finds involvement in multiple clubs at Green High School. She is a member of Key Club, Girls of Green, The Paw Print, Environmental Club, National Honors Society, and Spanish Club. Among these extracurriculars, Smith expresses leadership roles as the President of Key Club, Historian of Girls of Green, and the Visual Design Editor of The Paw Print.
“I really wanted to run an instagram account because of my interest in visual design. In my senior year, I wanted to step it up and become president so I participated in Key Club,” Smith said.
For Key Club, Smith is in charge of planning meetings and finding volunteer opportunities for the club. She finds her hardest challenge to be looking for activities for club members especially when it’s that time of year when there seems to be nothing going on. Through Girls of Green, Smith is able to express her visual design skills on instagram and also takes pictures during the meetings. As Visual Design Editor, Smith designs the layout for every issue of the paper. Smith appreciates the female leadership at Green as she communicates with other clubs either for ideas or some support from club to club.

Mckenzie Collinsworth ‘24:
Mckenzie Collinsworth ‘24 keeps busy as she is a member of Girls of Green, National Honors Society, Environmental Club, Student Council, and The Paw Print. Through her involvement Collinsworth is the President of Girls of Green, Vice President of NHS, and the Editor-in-Chief of The Paw Print.
“I’ve always enjoyed participating in club activities, so I thought why not gain some leadership experience. One of my sisters was an officer of Girls of Green and same with The Paw Print which ultimately incentivized me to join, but I always knew I wanted to be in charge. Also, colleges love a well rounded individual,” Collinsworth said.
Amongst her Girls of Green duties, Collinsworth plans and organizes meetings as well as reaching out to the community for the club to give back. As Vice President of NHS, Collinsworth’s main role is to bring ideas and help wherever needed for a meeting or opportunity present for all members. Her busiest task of all though is The Paw Print. She designs, writes, and edits for every issue and ensures the best quality possible is printed for everyone to enjoy. Collinsworth looks for guidance and advice from other female club leaders where she also feels she can lean on them for support.

Morgan Doan ‘24:
Morgan Doan ‘24 participates in her school community as a member of Environmental Club, Key Club, Student Council, National Honors Society, The Paw Print, and the Green Student Municipal program for the city. From her involvement, Doan finds leadership as she is the President of Environmental Club. Before she was president, Doan was historian for two years prior which involved running the Instagram and taking photos during meetings. Now, she plans and runs meetings for the club members.
“I feel like between my officers and myself we all have one main job such as taking attendance or taking photos, but we all work together to do most of the things like meeting ideas or talking during presentations no officer is doing more or less work than another,” Doan said.
With her experience in Environmental Club, Doan also learns as she teaches the members more about the environment which is something she enjoys discovering. Doan gains leadership experience from leaning on other female leaders across the community but also as she works with her fellow officers and teachers. She respects all the women running clubs at GHS, but she is disappointed in the lack of male involvement when it comes to non-sport activities.

Tess Peel ‘24:
Tess Peel ‘24 embraces her leadership skills as Vice President of Girls of Green for two years. Peel is also a member of Student Council, National Honors Society, Key Club, and Environmental Club.
“The most challenging thing about my position is finding time to plan things, and meet with my other officers. We are all very busy, but we all do our best to designate at least one day a week to plan and share ideas,” Peel said.
As vice president of Girls of Green, Peel strategizes meeting activities with fellow officers by brainstorming ideas and calling businesses/organizations in need of support. The work never stops as she is constantly on the lookout for opportunities and support for the community. Peel appreciates the large presence of female leadership at Green because she feels as though she can relate to other leaders and help wherever needed. Peel also notices the lack of male engagement where there are certain boys who have leadership qualities but fail to act upon them.

Meredith Walker ‘25:
Meredith Walker ‘25 expands her involvement through Student Council, Girls of Green, Key Club, Spanish Club, Bulldog Ambassadors, National Honors Society, a Student Municipal Representative, and a Student Liaison. Among her student activities, Walker is Treasurer of Girls of Green, Historian of Key Club, Treasurer of Spanish Club, and Vice President of Bulldog Ambassadors.
“I knew that I wanted to create a positive change in my school and the community. The best way to do that is by getting involved. Also I love the process of creating new ideas and presenting them to a group of people, it’s very fulfilling,” Walker said.
From all of her involvement, Walker takes on crucial roles in each activity she dedicates her time to. For Girls of Green, she spends her time focusing on attendance and pay to participate. On the other hand, as Vice President of Bulldog Ambassadors, Walker settles into a deeper leadership role where she constructs ideas fitting for the club and the school all while working with her fellow officers. Even as a junior, Walker jumps in wherever she can. Walker discovered her passion for leadership from previous female leaders at Green. The leadership around the school and community inspire others to do the same just as Walker was.

Parker Green ‘24:
Parker Green ‘24 demonstrates true leadership and involvement through everything she does for the school and community. Green is the 2024 Class President, President of Student Council, President of National Honors Society, Vice President of Environmental Club, and Treasurer of Key Club. She also participates in multiple other clubs as a member still dedicated to the school.
“I wanted to hold leadership positions because I kept thinking of ideas for the clubs that I was a part of, and I knew that the quickest way to implement these ideas in the manner that I wanted was to become a part of leadership,” Green said.
As the 2024 Class President, Green works with her fellow officers in creating events for the class as well as her duties as Student Council President in which she also brainstorms ways for everyone to participate in school spirited activities. Green keeps her priorities in line which truly makes her a remarkable leader when making tough decisions or solving problems. She’s always interested in hearing everyone’s ideas which is why she understands the female involvement around the school because she sees how much effort the girls put in.

Hadley Bialek ‘24:
Hadley Bialek ‘24 expresses her involvement in the school as the Class of 2024 Secretary and the Secretary of Student Council. Bialek encourages Student Council as she sees all the skills she gains from her position and the creative outlet given to her. From prepping meetings and events, Bialek is able to explore leadership qualities that are effective within the school.
“Honestly, the most difficult challenge is being realistic. You can have really big goals when running either a fundraiser or an event that involves student participation, but in reality you have to think about what will actually get a response from the student body. Additionally, you have to be able to appeal to four different grades which can get tricky,” Bialek said.
Working with her fellow officers, Bialek tries to bring school spirit in the form of special events, spirit weeks, and more. Bialek notices the change in club dynamics from four or five years ago. The increase in female participation motivates her to support and lean on others but to also express leadership to those younger than her.

Ella Mattes ‘25:
Ella Mattes ‘25 joins the ranks as Vice President of Student Council, President of Science Club, and Social Media Manager for the Bulldog Ambassadors. Mattes is able to juggle her tasks by dealing with the responsibility at hand. Because of the newness of the Bulldog Ambassadors, Mattes jumped at the opportunity to help get them out there as she is the first ever social media manager for the club.
“The most challenging part of holding these positions is getting certain activities approved. There are so many amazing ideas that club members and officers come up with that never happen because of many different obstacles. A lot of the time, availability of space within the school and money in club accounts can halt ideas from becoming a reality,” Mattes said.
As for Vice President of Student Council, Mattes sought out her planning skills when she saw this position as a perfect fit for her. She organizes and leads meetings as well as activities for the school and community. Through her experience in Science Club, Mattes ventures into what she truly loves: science. Her involvement allows her to test the waters in what she hopes to build her future on. Mattes sees female involvement as an inspiration to lower classmen to also become involved when they are juniors and seniors which is something Mattes experienced when she was a freshman and sophomore.

Adrianna Barnes ‘24:
Adrianna Barnes ‘24 actively participates in her school community through Girls of Green, Environmental Club, National Honors Society, Key Club,and Spanish Club. Barnes gains her leadership skills as Vice President of Key Club and Secretary of Spanish Club. Barnes has assumed a large leadership role in Spanish Club as she exceeds her job obligations to ensure the club is prospering and the members enjoy their activities.
“Being a language club makes it more niche and definitely puts a heavy limit on what the activities can be and who it attracts. The goal is always to inform our members more about Hispanic culture in a fun and interactive way. Easier said than done,” Barnes said.
Her Key Club duties consist of organizing volunteer opportunities for club members. Her search for involvement for members demonstrates her efforts as a leader. Barnes takes note of her fellow officers who aid her and provide more ideas for meetings. From the female leadership at Green, Barnes notices prosperity and the vitality of young female involvement. The range gives her encouragement to lead and hopefully for others as well.

Interviews:
Q. What clubs/extracurricular activities are you involved in?
Cat: Soccer, Key Club, Girls of Green, Environmental Club, Paw Print, NHS, Spanish Club.
Kenz: Softball, Girls of Green, NHS, Environmental Club, The Paw Print, Student Council, Bulldog Ambassadors.
Morgan: Soccer, Environmental Club, NHS, Key Club, The Paw Print, Student Council and student municipal representative.


Q. What is your designated leadership position in the clubs you hold an officer position? For how many years have you held this position?
Cat: President of Key Club (1 year), Historian of Girls of Green (2 years), Visual Design Editor (1 year)
Kenz: President of Girls of Green (2 years), Vice President of NHS (1 year), Visual-Design Editor (1 year), Editor in Chief (1 Year)
Morgan: I am currently President of the Environmental club; however, I was historian for two years before I became president. Sophomore year I also held the position of Secretary for the science club.
Tess: I have been the vice president of Girls of Green for the last two years!
Meredith:
Parker: I am the President of the class of 2024 (4 years), the President of Student Council (1 year), the President of National Honor Society (1 year), the Vice President of the Environmental Club (1 year), and the Treasurer of Key Club (1 year). I do other extracurriculars too, but I don’t hold named roles in those!
Hadley: I am the Student Council Club Secretary and the Senior Class Secretary. I’ve been class secretary for two years and club secretary for one year.
Ella: I serve as the Vice President of Student Council, the President of Science Club, and the Social Media Manager of Bulldog Ambassadors. This is my first year as the Vice President of Student Council, however, I have been the president of my class in the past. This is also my first year as President of Science Club, but I was the Treasurer last year. Bulldog Ambassadors is a fairly new club, so this is my first year as both a member and Social Media Manager.
Adrianna: I’m the vice president of Key Club, and this is my first year having an officer role in this specific club. I’m also secretary of Spanish Club as of last year.

Q. What encouraged you to become an officer/leader of these organizations?
Cat: I really wanted to run an instagram account because of my interest in visual design. In my senior year, I wanted to step it up and become president so I participated in Key Club. Oh, and college!
Kenz: I’ve always enjoyed participating in club activities, so I thought why not gain some leadership experience. One of my sisters was an officer of Girls of Green and same with The Paw Print which ultimately incentivized me to join, but I always knew I wanted to be incharge. Also, colleges love a well rounded individual.
Morgan: I was dared to run for environmental club by a friend and my older sister forced me to take a position at science club.
Tess: I always liked the idea of having leadership positions and using ideas I have, and it is obviously good for college!
Meredith: I knew that I wanted to create a positive change in my school and the community. The best way to do that is by getting involved. Also I love the process of creating new ideas and presenting them to a group of people, it’s very fulfilling.
Parker: I wanted to hold leadership positions because I kept thinking of ideas for the clubs that I was a part of, and I knew that the quickest way to implement these ideas in the manner that I wanted was to become a part of leadership. I think I have some control issues!
Hadley: I have always loved student council and have been involved in it in both Middle and High School. However, the High School student council has always been a sort of creative outlet for me because we’re working to do more things to boost school spirit and participation and it’s a good way to learn cooperation skills with different people from different ages/grades or people you wouldn’t work with on a day to day basis.
Ella:
Adrianna: Key Club was the first club I had ever joined at GHS, and it was the one I loved the most; plus, I was able to convince Catherine Smith, Key Club president, to run with me last spring. Spanish Club had always been fun and chill. By my junior year I was in AP Spanish as well, so there wasn’t really a reason to not get further involved.

Q. (if leaders of multiple) How do you delegate your leadership responsibilities through each club? How do you balance the chaos?
Cat: I don’t delegate… #controlissues
Kenz: For Girls of Green, we all help coordinate everything so it’s nice to have others with ideas instead of all the pressure on me. In NHS, we all pretty much help wherever we can which is super nice. I feel protective over The Paw Print, so I don’t delegate well when it comes to the paper.
Morgan: I feel like between my officers and myself we all have one main job such as taking attendance or taking photos, but we all work together to do most of the things like meeting ideas or talking during presentations no officer is doing more or less work than another. It also helps that all of my officers and I happen to be friends so our communication is very good and our wonderful advisor Mrs Wagar is extremely helpful and hands on as well. She loves to be involved in meeting planning processes and helping wherever she can.
Tess: No comment
Meredith: This can get pretty difficult (for me especially) since I am not the best at delegating tasks, but when I do, I have so many reliable officers that I know I can fall back on whenever I need.
Parker: Okay this is kind of a secret, but I do have a (fluidly) ranked list of all of my extracurriculars in terms of importance (to me), so when there are conflicts I simply determine the essentiality of whatever club ranks higher. For example, since I’m only a member of Girls of Green, I’ll drop that meeting to plan an event for the Student Council.
Hadley:
Ella: Fortunately for me, these clubs meet on different days of the week, so their set times do not overlap, however, the amount of work that I am required to put into each one does. At times, it gets hard to organize meetings for each club, but I force myself to take it one responsibility at a time. My fellow officers and I work as a team to get our tasks done, and this helps to relieve the stress of planning meetings.
Adrianna: Key Club is easy; it’s extremely structured and our job as officers is more so to find volunteer opportunities for our members than actually planning an activity to do every other week. We also have an amazing president that is incredibly reliable. Spanish Club on the other hand isn’t as simple. Being a language club makes it more niche and definitely puts a heavy limit on what the activities can be and who it attracts. The goal is always to inform our members more about Hispanic culture in a fun and interactive way. Easier said than done.

Q. What do you find most challenging about your position(s)?
Cat: For Key Club, it’s hard to find volunteer opportunities for the club members to do. Nothing challenging about Girls of Green. I can’t design at my house so I’m in a time crunch!
Kenz: My problem with all my positions is that I’m a huge procrastinator, so I will wait till the very last minute to day anything. This doesn’t pan out well when it comes down to planning a meeting or even printing the paper.
Morgan: Considering I’m president of the Environmental club and have never taken APES or any upper level science I sometimes feel like a fraud teaching other GHS students about certain topics so I have to research and educate myself on a lot of different things in order to feel okay speaking on it.
Tess: The most challenging thing about my position is finding time to plan things, and meet with my other officers. We are all very busy, but we all do our best to designate at least one day a week to plan and share ideas.
Meredith: Balancing. Balancing different clubs, grades, a sport and a social life can get pretty hectic. These positions definitely call for some time management skills but they are great at helping people build those skills along the way.
Parker: I think the most challenging part is making decisions when there is a stalemate or a conflict going on. I’m a people pleaser, so it hurts when I have to deny one group of people to ensure that another thing gets done! Plus, I get blamed for a lot of things that are actually beyond my control. This may shock some people, but administrative oversight does exist.
Hadley: Honestly, the most difficult challenge is being realistic. You can have really big goals when running either a fundraiser or an event that involves student participation, but in reality you have to think about what will actually get a response from the student body. Additionally, you have to be able to appeal to four different grades which can get tricky.
Ella: The most challenging part of holding these positions is getting certain activities approved. There are so many amazing ideas that club members and officers come up with that never happen because of many different obstacles. A lot of the time, availability of space within the school and money in club accounts can halt ideas from becoming a reality.
Adrianna: Key Club can become difficult when you’re going through a dry spout of volunteer opportunities in the community. In between the winter and spring, there just isn’t a lot going on, making it difficult to not only have meetings but to also give our members what they came for- service hours.

Q. How does it make you feel to know that a majority of the clubs here at GHS are female led organizations?
Cat: I think it’s great to see female involvement wherever you can. It’s also nice that I can communicate with other female leaders about what’s going on in other clubs. And the joint insta posts with stuco.
Kenz: It’s amazing to see so many women in charge of completely different things across the school and district. I love the support from others and especially the ability to lean on other leaders for advice and guidance whenever I need it.
Morgan: I think it’s a great thing that so many girls are motivated to want to run clubs at GHS but on the other hand I think it truly just goes to show the lack of male participation and representation in any non-sport extracurricular.
Tess: While I love all the girls in leadership positions right now, I do think that there are a lot of guys that could do better with stepping up into these roles. There are a lot of guys that are very active in extracurriculars, but I do wish they would be more involved with the clubs at our school.
Meredith: It feels so empowering. GHS has so many strong female leaders that I look up to. I originally wanted to join all the clubs I am a part of now because of all the thriving females I saw during my freshman year who were running everything. Definitely gives us an idea of who actually gets things done around here lol.
Parker: Personally, I love female run clubs! In my experience, the girls in a club always put in more effort anyways, so it feels validating that they are also the ones leading. Also, all of the club leadership tends to be super close, so there is a lot of room for super fun collaborations!
Hadley: It’s honestly just cool. It’s interesting too because I feel like if you look at GHS four or five years ago there was a mix of both male and female leadership, but I also think it’s inspiring for future club officers and freshmen.
Ella: Knowing that the majority of clubs at GHS are female-led is very exciting. As a freshman and sophomore, I looked up to older female club officers, so hopefully underclassmen girls at GHS will be encouraged by the female upperclassmen today to get involved in leadership positions. Girls have so many amazing ideas that often go overlooked, so the fact that they have the ability to act on their ideas at GHS is amazing.
Adrianna: I love that practically every club is led strictly by girls. Young female leadership is vital. It teaches skills that can’t be taught in a classroom, encourages the girls to set higher goals for themselves, and creates environments where we can uplift each other. I do, however, think that there’s a lot of untapped leadership potential from the guys at GHS and would love to see them get involved.