At the first school board meeting of the school year on Thursday, Aug. 19, junior Danielle Austin joined Board of Education members at the head of the room as the meeting’s honorary student representative. Seated alongside board treasurer Mr. Mike Hoehn, in a specially designated position, Austin had the opportunity to address the board and share her thoughts on receiving the honor as well as her plans for the future.

Principal Sonny Arnel accompanied Danielle and her family to the event, as well as introduced her to the board. Austin has been a member of the varsity cheerleading team at FHC for all three years of high school. This year, she was chosen by her teammates to be captain of the team, which has been ranked in the top five at the state level for the past three years.

“[As captain], I’m hoping to just get everyone excited for our upcoming state competitions [and] to bring unity to our team,” Austin said.

Austin’s performance on the cheer team led to another opportunity for her to demonstrate her leadership skills – by working with school Activities Director Mr. Scott Harris.

“On the cheer team, my coaches really saw leadership in me,” said Austin. “[So Mr.] Harris chose me and a few other students to go to [a] leadership summit.”

The gathering, attended by members of the school’s leadership team, offered a range of experiences for Austin. Aided by the summit’s activities, including various leadership scenarios, Austin has returned with a renewed spark for her team and a deeper understanding of what it means to be a leader.

“I would say communication with the team and coach, respect [and] honesty” are the most important qualities in a leader, Austin said.