It’s Friday night. Five minutes left in the third quarter and Amat has the ball on the 10-yard line. The student section is waiting, eager; everyone clutching handfuls of colorful, skin-staining powder. The ball is caught. The Lancers are winning. The crowd chants until finally it is impossible to see them, engulfed in a cloud of powder.

The students often leave the games with blue hands and good memories but rarely do they think of who is actually putting it all together. Mrs. Leeman, this year’s ASB moderator, is working hard to make this year special for the students at Bishop Amat.

“I was already ASB moderator once a few years ago so I knew what to expect,” she said. “It’s not easy work but it’s nice when you know that you were part of making someone’s Homecoming or football game experience better.”

Almost everyday after school, you can find Mrs. Leeman in her classroom doing something for a student, whether it be ordering and bagging powder for the football games, organizing games for the upcoming rally, or coming up with inventive new ways to do things.

“She’s always really helpful and willing to go the extra mile for us,” Adrian Lemus, one of the student section leaders, said, “I remember one time she stayed until 5 o’clock to find a speaker because no one had found one for the [football] game.”

Mrs. Kristen Nass, the school’s Activity Director, asked Mrs. Leeman to take the position after the former ASB moderator could no longer hold the position.

“I knew she had done it before so she already pretty much knew everything that went into it,” Mrs. Nass said. “She seemed like the perfect person to ask. She has all these ideas about fundraisers and events for the students. She’s really putting a lot into it this year.”

On top of doing what is already necessary, Mrs. Leeman has attempted to change things in order to keep up with the boom of technology. Instead of using scantrons to vote for things like class elections and Homecoming Court, Mrs. Leeman has set up online polls where you can vote using any device with the internet.

“Instead of forcing the students to vote by passing out scantrons, it makes it more like a real election because it feels more optional,” Mrs. Leeman said.

The poll also stays open for a few hours after school has ended so students have more of an opportunity to use the website.

She is also implementing a senior committee. With the help of history teacher Mr. Lodolo, Mrs. Leeman has pushed the school to add numerous events to the calendar for seniors. They have discussed adding events that the senior class would enjoy, such as a movie night and senior sunrise. Despite already having two events approved by the school and finding enough chaperones to run them, she continues to push for new ideas and events.

She has also decided to rent plastic reindeer and set up a winter scene where students can pay to take pictures with their friends at lunch.

“I really think the kids would like it and with the money from the pictures, the props will basically pay for themselves,” Mrs. Leeman said about the fundraiser.

According to Mrs. Leeman, however, she can’t be given all the credit.

“I get a lot of my ideas from the things the kids say,” she said. “Being ASB moderator allows me to interact with the students in a whole new way. I get to see them outside of a classroom setting and it’s completely different. I just listen to what they have to say and try to come up with events based on what the students want. Ultimately it’s about them. It’s their high school experience, not mine.”

Senior ASB Vice President Elizabeth Jaime is behind the scenes with a lot of what goes on at these events.

“We used to stay after school for a few hours before the football games to separate powder into bags,” Jaime said. “It would have been really easy for her to just give us what we needed but she actually stayed and helped every time. It’s just the little things. When you talk to her you feel like you’re actually being heard.”

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