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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Leah Thayer
Student Body President
By JoEllen Collins for The Weekly Sun
Reflecting on her four years at Wood River High School, graduating senior and student body president Leah Thayer was challenged by the need to balance study, soccer, and student government.
“I decided to make this last year here completely meaningful, and it was," said Thayer, a Hailey resident. “Although I was in student council for four years, this one as president had a huge impact on me: I’m prepared more for what lies ahead. Academic standards here are high, but our teachers make learning interesting and relevant to us, even in the hardest classes. For example, Amy Swanson in AP Calculus and James Foster in AP Economics are amazing instructors who clearly want their students to succeed both scholastically and in developing good character.”
Thayer will attend Colorado College next year, finding it a good match for her in its similarity to the Wood River Valley in landscape and opportunities for recreation. She is leaning toward studying organismal biology and ecology, working with wildlife and the outdoors. Her twin sister, Emily, will attend California Poly Tech at San Luis Obispo, where their brother Hayden is also a student.
As the first girl in over a decade to be elected president of the student council, Thayer found the overall results to have been positive.
“I am happy that the students and I have felt pretty good about that, but I didn’t run just to make a feminist point,” she said. “I hope in the future that one’s gender won’t be a consideration regarding service in the school. I learned to handle occasional negative reactions to decisions made, and I am proud our students can contribute to their student government.
“We had some terrific celebrations this year,” Thayer continued. “Homecoming was fantastic, and the Winter Formal was held in the gym to a much bigger attendance than when at another venue, and our prom, with the theme ‘A Night at the Oscars,’ was very special.”
Thayer said public issues and events brought the school together in unexpected ways.
“I am so proud of the way our faculty and the students handled the impact of the school shootings in Parkland [Fla.],” Thayer said. “Standing outside of school and seeing the vivid ways people expressed their grief and hope was something far better than I could have imagined. We connected closely to each other and to the larger world through this tragedy. We now hope that continuing to express our legitimate concerns will mean that our children won’t have to face the fear of violence toward children in schools and other supposedly ‘safe’ places.”
Thayer credits her parents for their hard work in helping her succeed these past four years.
“My mom graduated from Wood River High School in 1982, and it means so much to continue her legacy at this school and to be able to achieve the same things she did,” Thayer said. “I also have a big thanks for the whole class of 2018 and say congratulations to all.”
Each week, JoEllen Collins will be profiling a local high-school student. If you know someone you'd like to see featured, e-mail joellencollins1@gmail.com.