He has been hiking all day. His large backpack hangs heavy on his shoulders, his muscles ache for rest, and his water supply is running low. After a final few excruciating miles, he reaches the top of the hill. Exhausted, he unpacks his bag and begins to assemble his tent, eager to collapse into his sleeping bag. Around him, his troop is starting a campfire and preparing dinner. He looks proudly out at the sunset between the trees.

Charles Wiebeck is a dedicated Boy Scout who is running for junior class president for Arvada West Student Council (StuCo). Wiebeck wants to prove that he can be a great leader.

“I think I represent what the junior class really is, basically outrageous, fun-loving, and just a lovable group of people,” Wiebeck says.

Wiebeck ran for sophomore class president last year but lost. However, he refuses to give up. “I felt as though even though I lost last year, that wasn’t gonna stop me,” he says. This year, his involvement includes helping with the bonfire and planning a fall conference for StuCo.

Wiebeck has some changes for the school that he will put into place if elected. “I like the idea of adding in a Jeffco Students United,” he says. Jeffco Students United for Action is a group dedicated to helping students make their voices heard and make a difference in their community.

In his home life, Wiebeck has a close relationship with his parents and sister. “My dad motivates me to get out there and show people who I am,” he says.

He also considers himself very friendly with others. “Something that’s unique about me is I just have this really good skill of getting to know a lot of people,” he says. He meets new people all the time because he’s not afraid to walk up and introduce himself.

Wiebeck tends to spend a lot of time watching people. He likes to know about problems around the school. “I mostly like watching movements of people and cliques forming,” he says.

Wiebeck is taking German in addition to StuCo, and he considers himself to be an adventurous person in his free time. “I like to cook a lot, and I really enjoy the outdoors,” he says. He is especially skilled at backpacking, (hiking to a campground with all his supplies carried on his back).

He says he plans to win votes by “making outrageously awful posters to get on people’s Snapchat stories.” When students see his posters, they are likely to want to share them with their friends, which increases his publicity.

He sees qualities in himself that he wants to use to help the school. “I’m very open-minded, observant, and I generally want to make a bigger change,” he states.

His goal as junior class president is to “leave a legacy behind, planting seeds I’ll never see grow.”

If elected, he hopes to make a difference in both the school and the community.