Senior Spotlight: leadership hats fit Stellpflug perfectly as she seeks to serve others

How did a diminutive violinist become student council president? Size has meant nothing to senior Charlotte Stellpflug. Not only is she Student Council president, but she is also in symphony orchestra, a West is BEST ambassador, in Tri M Honors Society, Oshkosh Youth Symphony, and volunteering everywhere within the community. But how does she manage all of these activities, and why does she do them?

Volunteering has been an important part of Stellpflug’s childhood. Growing up, she has found pleasure in continuing this as well.

“Volunteer work has always been super important to my parents; it’s part of why they like our church so much,” she said. “I'm such a people person, I just love people. So being able to help people through volunteering is something I love.”

Not only did she grow up helping out her community, but she found this same pleasure through music.

“All four of us kids were put into music classes when we were young, and so that has always been super important in our family,” she said. “I absolutely love playing the violin, and I love music. It’s such a big part of my life, and so I love being able to play solo and along with other people who also enjoy music. This is why I find Youth Symphony so much fun.”

Stellpflug’s activities as a youth have formed her into the leader she loves to be; because of her experience with opportunities from a young age, she has found Student Council to be a perfect fit.

“In a weird way, I like being bossy sometimes. I like being able to lead people and being able to help people and actually do things and feel like I've accomplished something,” she said. “I joined the student council at Tipler in eighth grade when I transferred there from Omro. There, we put on the little dance and that was super fun so I decided I'm going to do that in high school too. I love helping people and so I was on the Blood Drive Committee. I was committee chair my sophomore year, but then I was fully committee chair for the blood drive committee last year. After enjoying Student Council, I decided that I would run for president senior year. So I ran for president and I got it.”

Stellpflug’s desire to help motivated her for this role, and she is grateful for the opportunity.

“I love leading. I love people. I love helping,” she said. “So I wanted to be able to help do all of that. Being able to be in charge and be the representative for West was just so important to me. I love being able to communicate and take people’s words and opinions and present that to help them.”

As president of Student Council, Stellpflug is tasked with going to school board meetings. While she has to present daunting information, she finds pleasure in shedding light on these topics. 

“I prepare a monthly update on West for these meetings,” she said. “Student Council President at North, Eva Miller, and I create a joint presentation every couple months about something like feedback from the high schools for the school board. Something policy related that they would be able to change, just like feedback in general.”

Stellpflug enjoys bringing up topics important to her to the board, such as mental health in students.

“Even though the school has set up tests and lessons to show us symptoms of mental health and suicide, these lessons don’t always work,” she said. “And the reason it doesn't work is because, number one, if a kid doesn’t want people to know, they're not gonna tell people. The thing is, so many parents look down upon mental health, and so many kids don't have access to counseling and they're too scared.” 

Stellpflug recognizes not only the dangers, but criminalization of substance abuse among students here at West. 

“They resort to drugs and unhealthy coping mechanisms and it is so hard to pull back from those, because it’s addicting,” she said. “A lot of times vapes just make people more anxious and they destroy the body. But they don't know how to stop and they don't have the resources because the second they try to tell someone and try to stop it, they're getting in trouble with the law. Drugs are so ridiculously criminalized.”

Stellpflug agrees that there should be more awareness on ALL forms of mental health. 

“If they are focusing, it’s only on depression, sometimes ADHD, and then there's so much left out that kids aren't educated on,” she said.

While the mental health screening is beneficial to some students, accessing resources matters most to Stellpflug.

“The second you get flagged after the screening, if you truly are honest on that, which no one is, you get called down, and immediately there’s a call sent home. That doesn't do anything,” she said. “That’s where the counseling department needs to be able to help hook kids up with those resources. But it’s so difficult to get there, it’s just almost impossible, and so many kids don't even know we have them. They don’t know that they can get help, especially without the threat of their parents, of people who take care of them, lashing out at them. The amount of kids in schools that are anxious, or depressed, is insane, yet there’s not enough education out there; there’s a lot that you just don't know.”

Stellpflug understands the stress of high school, especially for underclassmen.

“Don't stress about it, don't stress about the social aspect of everything,” she said. “Do what you need to do, go to college if you want, get a career if you want, do what you need to do to make the life that you want to happen, not much else is gonna matter. You're not gonna care about this, you're not gonna care about that. All you're gonna care about is the fact that you had fun, you were a good person, and people were nice to you. If someone's rude to you, you're gonna remember that, and you're not gonna like them. It’s very easy to be nice.”

Stellpflug’s best advice for underclassmen is to embrace the ugliness of life and embrace being human.

“People can only do so much, and they can only do so much for so long,” she said. “It’s okay to not be okay, it’s okay to need help. That is a lesson I have had to learn the hard way, time after time after time after time. No matter how old you are, where you are in life, you will always and forever need help. We're all human. You can't expect yourself or anyone else to not be."

By Rin Fox and Ruby Pluchinsky

Published October 30 2023

Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue II