Originally published March 21, 1996.

Kaplan is the first in the history of Illinois to hold a National Association Student Council position.

Recently making both Wildcat and Illinois state history, Jamie Kaplan, sophomore, was selected as the Sth Regional Student Representative for the National Association Student Council (NASC). Becoming the first person from Illinois to hold a national position, Kaplan is looking forward to her upcoming term. 

“It is a very big deal for her to be selected for this board. It’s a great honor for her, but also for WHS and the state as well because she is the first representative from Illinois ever” Nancy Heintz, WHS Student Council adviser, said.

A distinguished leader among her peers, Kaplan ran against four other high school students from Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia for the dignified position. Being the Illinois nominee was prestigious enough according to Kaplan; however, her happiness was more than overwhelming after finding out that she had now become an executive member of the National Student Council. “It’s such a tremendous honor; not only for me, but for my family, WHS Student Council, the WHS administration and our state. I’m still in shock that the committee selected me, Kaplan said.

All state nominees attended an Area Convention Feb.28-March 2 in Cedar Rapids, IA. There, each candidate gave a speech and attended a detailed interview with members of the NASC Regional Selection Committee. “[Everyone] was absolutely floored with her poise during her speech to all the delegates at the Area Convention and her preparation for the interview was terrific. It was also nice to see how supportive the WHS students were of their classmate,” Ms. Heintz said. 

The committee selected the most qualified student based on the speech, interview; exemplary leadership skills, academic and extra-curricular achievements, community service and dedication to the Student Council program “Everyone from Illinois and WHS was so supportive. I have to thank all the WHS students who came to the Area Convention and my family for always being there” Kaplan said. 

Serving a two-year term, Kaplan will be required to fulfill the responsibilities of her newly acquired position. These include attending various state and national conventions across the US. as well as encouraging communication among the states. Her main responsibility, however, is to represent her six states (Iowa, Illinois, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Nebraska)at national meetings and conventions. 

Kaplan said her goals for her upcoming term are to represent the six states as best I can, to get more schools involved in the NASC, to encourage more students to attend national conferences and conventions, and to increase and maintain levels of communication.