Caleb Ordoyne described his high school experience in three words: exciting, fun and memorable. It was also a time of personal growth, he said.
“It was where I started finding out who I was and who I wanted to be,” Ordoyne said.
His list of accomplishments at HHS is long. It includes summa and magna cum laude, varsity wrestling, vice president for the National Honor Society, Beta Club, InterAct Club, Louisiana Boys State, the Unsung Hero title, and student body secretary.
“Being a part of student council really is what made high school, high school,” he said. “It was a growing experience, 100 percent. Stuff that I didn’t think I could do, now I can do.”
Ordoyne said student council gave him insight into the behind-the-scenes work that goes into school events like prom and pep rallies and helped him improve his public speaking skills.
“Being a part of student council just really grows you as a person,” he said. “And you understand things that not many people get to see. It makes you accept that sometimes good work goes unseen. Not everybody is going to appreciate or notice what is done, but what matters most is that you know you did it and you did the best you could do.”
Ordoyne said he decided to join student council in part because his mom, an HHS graduate, was involved with student council when she was in school.
“So, I thought I would do it and see how it was,” he said. “Once I got into student council, I made friends with the senior class officers, and they helped me understand what student council truly was about. They told me to run for office.”
He credits Bodie Dufrene and Megan Bush, who are both HHS teachers and advisors for student council, and his girlfriend Anna Lanata for helping him grow his confidence and public speaking skills.
“I remember when I ran for homecoming king, we were on the floor of the gym for a pep rally, and we all talked and we all introduced ourselves and gave a little info about ourselves,” he said. “And, you know, that was something that was memorable to me because I never was a kid to do that kind of thing.”
He said the skills he gained through student council even helped him during his internship with Open Waters.
“When you’re able to talk to people and just able to sit down with them and not be scared to ask questions – give them your thought process while they embark on theirs – it’s easy for people to see who you are as a person,” he said.
Ordoyne was accepted into Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Michigan. They only accept 30 students a year.
He said it felt equally sad and happy to graduate.
“You know, it’s a big achievement to be able to graduate,” he said. “But now, you know you’re about to move on, and you don’t know how things are going to play out.”
