Four years ago, the Class of 2023 wasn’t sure it was going to have a cabinet. After a month of failed attempts to find an advisor, it was seeming less and less probable. However, in mid-September of 2019, two individuals stepped up: Spanish teacher Mrs. Emily Zimdahl-McManus and French teacher Mrs. Brittany McCamley, known by many as Profe and Mrs. Mac. Now, four years later, these individuals, along with Spanish teacher Mrs. Victoria Smith, are the backbone to the success of the Class of 2023.

As a class advisor, there is much to be done that goes unseen; work that is long, tedious, but required for a functioning class. This has included organizing seven fundraisers, collecting and keeping track of over 200 student dues, planning 4 class floats, planning a prom, and so much more.

It is important to note that although the work mentioned above is required, there are various levels to which an advisor can help. This is where the Class of 2023 is beyond thankful for our advisors. Because in each of those activities, Profe, Mac and Smith went above and beyond to ensure the best experience for our class.

“Our advisors have been critical to everything we have done. We have not done a single thing without them, and if they weren’t involved, nothing would have been nearly as amazing as it was,” Senior Class Secretary Kate Rarrick said.

Another aspect of the advisors’ work that propelled the class was the care they had for the students they represented. These individuals could have easily just gone through the motions. However, our advisors took pride and passion into everything that they helped with.

“After working with Mrs. Smith and Profe on a few of the senior activities, it is clear to see how dedicated they are to helping this Senior Class truly enjoy the last few months of their time at Bellefonte High School. They have both gone above and beyond to make sure that the students had experiences that they will never forget,” senior English teacher Mrs. Kelley Kreiger said. 

Personal examples over the years include Mrs. Mac having her husband build the Class of 2023 a Shrek Shack for the class float, Profe’s endless spreadsheet calculations and family participation in the class float, and finally, Mrs. Smith willingly stepping up senior year to fill in for Mrs. Mac, for which she endlessly called businesses to ensure an amazing Senior Class trip.

“I’ll never forget when Mrs. Mac literally saved our Prom. Even though she was on leave, she still put in the time and effort to order us decorations, without a budget I may add, and helped make the Prom a giant success,” senior Katie Nugent said. 

And the best part of it all was that our class in no way made it easy on our class advisors. Whether it was taking up administrative-level investigations, having weekly morning meetings for Prom, or deciding to have a class trip to Chicago, we put as much work on our advisors as possible, and they never failed us.

“Our advisors these past four years have been our biggest supporters. They have always showed up when we’ve called emergency meetings and supported us when we needed them. We could not have done half the things we’ve done without their constant, unconditional support,” senior Maya Knupp said.

Although this article can never put into words how thankful we are, I hope it shows just how much our advisors did, and how much gratitude we owe them. We quite literally could not have done it without them.