As the school year ends and preparations begin for the 2019-2020 school year, U.S. History and AP Government teacher Cortney Haynes will take over the responsibility as the junior adviser. She has agreed to plan events and projects including prom, the Halloween carnival and the junior float for homecoming with the help of the junior class. Despite the hard work, Haynes is excited for the opportunity to be involved with students outside of the classroom.

“I hope to gain a stronger relationship with my students,” Haynes said. “I hope [being the] junior adviser carries over into the classroom to develop better social skills because I’m a very shy person. Sometimes it’s kind of hard for me to get out of my comfort zone and talk to other people, so I think this will help as well.”

According to StuCo adviser Allison Stamey, commitment, responsibility and dedication are traits a new adviser needs to have so he or she can create a positive, strong working environment.

“Mrs. Haynes has been doing a great job in helping out,” StuCo adviser Allison Stamey said. “She got involved with the students and worked hard; she has interacted very well with the current juniors that were here.”

With the help of Haynes, upcoming juniors look forward to the events they will be able to participate in. They hope to improve their communication skills and academics while forming a friendship with their new adviser.

“I expect her to be supportive with our ideas and help us out with anything we need,” sophomore Miguel Herrera said. “[I hope to learn] new leadership skills for sure [and] grow as a person.”

Haynes will work closely with the junior class to begin preparations for prom at least three months before the annual event in order to make it memorable for all of the students who attend.

“Prom is one of the most enjoyable events to [work on] when you’re a junior adviser,” Stamey said. “When you see all the students there having fun and enjoying the food and dancing…seeing the students is the most enjoyable part.”

Haynes plans to change the way the upcoming junior class feels about school spirit. She is trying to create new ideas to grow the junior class and increase its strength.

“I think one thing is getting more juniors involved in the process with planning prom,” Haynes said. “I’m going to advertise the junior class more. I’m going to try to do a theme or something that I can tell the students there’s something such as the junior class and they should be involved.”