On April 17th, Juniors William White and Hallie Corneau were elected student body president and vice president-elect for the 2026-2027 school year. The pair ran on a platform of underscoring communication between students and administration and increasing school spirit.
President White shared that he plans to prioritize an open door policy next year, where students can reach out anytime to the pair with requests, statements, or questions.
“One of the first steps towards proper representation is being able to hear what people need and want done,” White said. “We’re hoping to increase that communication for everyone’s benefit.”
Additionally, White highlighted his excitement to begin implementing new actions regarding the recurring parking lot issues.
“We’re planning on helping with this issue through numerous different ideas including: Staff & Senior spots, yellow parking lines, carpooling incentives, and other ideas,” White said.
However, White and Corneau faced setbacks that made their journey challenging–but also the most rewarding.
In early April, Corneau made the difficult decision to begin an extended leave of absence from school to treat ongoing mental health concerns. Her absence limited the pair’s ability to participate in in-school campaigning and prevented her from attending the presidential debate on Monday, April 6th.
“I’ve been very open about my challenges in attempts to improve the stigma that eating disorders and other mental health issues face,” Corneau said. “I had a lot of moments of doubt in moving forward with running, but I knew that showing up in the best way I could showed my leadership.”
This newfound motivation during their campaign allowed both Corneau and White to redefine Corneau’s situation to advance their message of inclusion within the school.
“Working more behind the scenes allowed me to appreciate the extra work and time all leaders put into their work, and allowed me to gain so much more insight,” Corneau said.
With Corneau working in the background, White was able to focus more on beginning to bridge the gap between himself and the student body, while still emphasizing the importance of mental health services.
“The school community could better focus on helping struggling students through reminding students we have spaces to help those struggling with a wide degree of topics and making sure these services are known,” White said.
The pair has decided to make mental health one of their top priorities for next year’s agenda along with the parking lot.
“I want conversations to be incorporated into our curriculum,” Corneau said. “And for students who are struggling to have a clearer plan and understanding of how academics can work with their own personal life.”
According to the National Institute of Health, 42% of Generation Z adolescents suffer from a diagnosed mental health condition. This would yield a rough estimate of 504 Essex High School students (omitting Generation Alpha statistics).
Their leadership journey reflects a larger message: that adaptability and openness can develop a more inclusive school community.
“Everyone deserves for their wellbeing to come first, and support is a vital step,” Corneau said.
