Sophomore Conner Anderson sat in the weight room with tiny sweat beads forming at his brow. The smell of warm sweat filled the air, along with the blaring radio noise and chatter amongst all the other football players. 

Although he was around his group of freshmen friends, he couldn’t help but feel lonely. He saw that upperclassmen were only talking to one another, rather than helping him and his fellow peers. Then, something clicked. Anderson knew, in that moment, with a fiery sense of determination, that he had to step up and be the leader, to lead those younger or older than him.

“When I was a freshman I didn’t have a lot of help and bonds[with others],” Anderson said.

He described his freshman year in the football team as something that was exciting, yet he also felt a sense of loneliness because he didn’t have any upperclassmen to look up to. This year, to make sure no other freshman had to go through what he did and feel more included, he decided to step up in athletic development. 

“My first impressions of Conner was that he seems like a kind and welcoming guy,” Freshman Silas Janssen said.

Janssen is one freshman that has felt the impact of Anderson’s leadership. After forming a friendship with Anderson through the band, Janssen shared that Anderson had introduced him to other upperclassmen, and persuaded him to become a football player for his sophomore year.

He described Anderson as someone who is strong, warm, welcoming, and kind. He shared that Anderson had really been helping him in the weight room. When he was having trouble lifting a heavy weight, Anderson pushed him and encouraged him to push through. 

Not only does Anderson lead in the weight room, but he has also led freshmen in band. He also felt more lonely in band, since there were more upperclassmen in different hours of band classes. So, he took it upon himself to change that for this year’s freshmen in band.

“When I was a freshman I didn’t have a lot of help in band,” Anderson said. 

Tyler Dahl, a freshman trumpet player, describes Anderosn as helpful, kind, and a great person. He shared that Anderson was always helping him with music, whether it was helping him organize his music or help him get music. 

“He’s always there to help,” Dahl said.

Both freshmen shared they think Anderson is a good leader because he is someone that is smart, has good teamwork skills, and has good leadership skills. Anderson will be continuing his leadership when he  participates in an event happening in May, where he was nominated by his own peers and coaches to help 5th grade gym teachers lead their students in sports.