After Ms. Michele Forbes stepped down from her role as co-advisor of Student Council earlier this year, Mr. Jebidiah Howley, a special education instructor who teaches fundamentals of social studies and study skills, has been named Student Council’s newest co-advisor. He will join Spanish teacher Mrs. Mary Orphanos in overseeing the student government of CHS.
As a third-year teacher at CHS, Howley said it was time for him to take on a bigger role in school activities and get more involved behind the scenes. He said he is excited to be able to contribute his ideas and bring something new to the table.
“I think getting the opportunity to interact with the student body and have more of a pulse of what they are into, what they like. It is something I am really interested in. I think high school is a great experience and a great time,” Howley said. “The student council has been great under Mrs. Forbes and Mrs. Orphanos, and I’m really happy to be a part of it and have this opportunity.”
Having had Howley as his soccer coach, senior Christian Feeley said he is a strong leader with a good sense of humor.
“I am excited about having Howley as the new advisor. Obviously, I was upset to see Ms. Forbes step down, but I believe that it will be beneficial to both parties,” Feeley said. “I expect there to be positive changes, and I think he will be able to implement many of his ideas.”
Feeley said Howley has already made an impact.
“One change I saw immediately is his ability to make things happen,” Feeley said. “For example, when we presented him with the idea of doing a trip to D.C to learn more about what it takes to represent people, he immediately stepped up and looked for a way to make it happen.”
As Howley fills this new position, it changes things around for Orphanos as well, who has only ever overseen Student Council with Forbes leading.
“I’m super excited to work with Mr. Howley, as he is a young teacher, and I think he’s going to bring new, great ideas to the table for Student Council,” Orphanos said about her new partner.
Howley said he is confident that this transition will be smooth. He credits having people around him that he can lean on and knows will be there for him with this new adjustment. He said this new role will now require him to manage his time more wisely.
“Fortunately, I have Mrs. Orphanos there, who’s been there now for a couple of years, and I think the class officers with whom I’m close were very experienced, have a lot of good knowledge, and a lot to offer. So from an adjusting standpoint, in terms of workload, things need to be done – time after school, time in school,” Howley said.
Starting new roles is always exciting, but with this position, Howley will not only get a chance to see a new side of events that he has not seen before, but play a role in planning and developing these activities for students.
“It’ll certainly be nice for me to be sort of on the other end of Homecoming and Spirit Week. I got to just sort of be a part of it and enjoy it a lot for my first two years here as a teacher, and now there’s going to be a lot more behind the scenes of making sure things run smoothly and whatnot,” Howley said.
Following in the footsteps of someone like Forbes, who had been co-advising Student Council for 30 years, is not an easy task. CHS is thankful for everything that Forbes has done and contributed to the CHS community.
“I will miss how important Student Council was to Ms. Forbes because she cared and put lots of effort into making sure everything was perfect,” Feeley said. “She had the willingness to take on any and all of the challenges and responsibilities that Student Council brought on. She acted as a mentor and a role model for the students in Student Council. I will miss her leadership and her dedication more than anything.”
Howley is ready to take on this role and add to the strong foundation she built for Student Council.
“I think anytime you take over for somebody who did a job for so long and ended it so well, that comes with pressure, but the pressure sounds like a negative thing. I think it’s the possibility that you want that you have to try and put your own strain on something, or make something better, or so on and so forth,” Howley said. “But certainly, I do feel pressure and a little bit of a burden taking over somebody like Mrs. Forbes, who did such a great job, but she’s been very great at handing over the stuff I need to be successful and helping me out. I’ll still be picking her brain as long as she’s around.”
