High Point High junior elected to statewide student council

Spirit, dedication and a desire to ‘be busy’ motivate this active teen, By Keri Rand Wantage — Goal oriented, ambitious and motivated are only a few words to describe High Point High School junior Kayeleigh Mallon. Kayeleigh was elected this month to the New Jersey Association of Student Councils, where she will take on the role of executive member in charge of public relations and review. The organization is the oldest student organization in the state and is dedicated to helping middle school and high school student councils become more involved and active in their communities as well as their schools. Kayeleigh says that she wanted to be a part of the organization almost as soon as she went to a conference put on by the organization at The College of New Jersey. “I found the council so inspirational. You can say I had the “Wow” factor.” The “wow” factor motivated Kayeleigh to run for a position for the 2009 board. The morning of the election, Kayeleigh and her advisor, Christine Henry, campaigned bright and early, passing out buttons and posting a banner to help her win voters, all of whom were presidents of their schools’ student councils. Her hard work and sincerity helped her win. Her duties for the post will include hosting the organization’s fall, winter and spring conferences. And she will also help plan and run the Leadership Training Conference, a retreat where students learn leadership skills including public speaking, problem solving, project planning and how to manage conflicts. Kayeleigh’s first official meeting is Feb. 6. Meetings are held once a month at a New Jersey high school. Kayeleigh will have the opportunity to host a meeting at High Point. Active at High Point Kayeleigh’s new responsibilities as an active member of the state board will not hinder her dedication to High Point’s council, where she is the executive vice president. Aside from academic government, Kayeleigh is also an active member of Peer Counseling and is a varsity cheerleader. She is active in Pass It Along, a countywide service organization for youths. She works after school and volunteers her time coaching three local cheerleading squads. “It’s overwhelming at times,” Kayeleigh admitted, “but everything just fits perfectly. I like to be busy.” What’s her motivation? “My family and friends. I want to succeed and make them proud.”