Dublin High’s ASB President Tatum Wheeler on the Value of Student Leadership

by Tatum Wheeler (Dublin High School Class of 2012)

Dublin High School ASB Leadership 2011-12

My name is Tatum Wheeler and I am currently serving as Dublin High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) President. Dublin High’s Leadership structure is made up of sub-committees that oversee different aspects of the high school experience: Community Service (encouraging students to give back), Outreach (ensuring the student body is integrated), Dance (planning not only dances but social events for students), Special Events (coordinating such school-specific events as Mr. Dublin and the talent show), Lunchtime Activities (planning lunchtime events for students), Rally (organizing school rallies to fire up DHS spirit), Gael Force (encouraging student attendance to sports and theater events), and Fundraising (raising the money that makes this all possible).

This year, we have a total of approximately one hundred students in our leadership class, each committee is overseen by three commissioners and each ASB officer also has two committees to follow-up with. This is just the physical structure of the DHS Leadership class – what we actually do is far greater than these components. Dublin High School’s Leadership class oversees more activities and events than other schools in the area. Dublin High’s Homecoming Week is the largest high school event in the Tri Valley and includes a parade, carnival, spirit rally, football game, and dance along with daily events. This is truly the gem of Leadership’s efforts – every student, regardless of committee, is involved in some aspect of making Homecoming run smoothly.

The most interesting aspect of Dublin High School Leadership is that Dublin High is able to surpass the events of other larger schools, even though we only meet for one hour a week. Most of the Tri Valley’s high schools have an entire period devoted to Leadership while Dublin High gets everything done in 1/5 of the time. The looser nature of the DHS Leadership class allows for more student involvement than a rigid class structure would permit; students are able to voice their opinions and adjust events and activities as they see fit, not merely follow a checklist of things to get done. Leadership students are able to truly develop into leaders, because they have a direct impact on the organization of campus events.  As ASB officers, our role is to simply ensure that the rest of the class runs itself.

Becoming Dublin High’s ASB President has truly made the entire Dublin High experience come full circle for me. I entered Dublin High knowing only one person, a family friend, and through the support and friends I made at Dublin High, I was pushed to thrive. My involvement with sports helped me build connections, and through those connections I met Lauren Koa, our current ASB Secretary, who also served with me as sophomore co-president. This inspired my passion for Dublin High Leadership. After serving as class president, I served as Lunchtime Activities commissioner in my junior year. I am now able to use this experience to look at Dublin High from a variety of perspectives: from the new kid to class officer to Leadership commissioner and now, ASB President. I was also able to do this while receiving an outstanding education.

Contrary to what the some in the community would have you believe about Dublin High, when I graduate I will have taken seven Advanced Placement (AP) courses, two honors courses, one dual Advanced Placement / ROP course, and will have actively served in two clubs and played two sports.  From being the new kid to becoming school president, I feel that Dublin High has offered me an experience no other school could. I know I am just one story; however, there are many other students who have been able to flourish at Dublin High. I am proud and honored to represent my school.

Dublin High School Class of 2011 graduate, West Point freshman and former ASB President Ben Young passes the gavel to Tatum Wheeler at the 2011 Senior Awards Night:

Tatum Wheeler - Dublin High School Engineering Academy Open House Starring MythBusters