As one of Eisenhower High School’s Tiger Ambassadors, senior Sydney Crees had an opportunity to speak to incoming freshmen during their orientation for the 2023-24 school year.
 
“I told them that I want to come to school here because I can do things that I like, so find something that you like and it will help you want to come here every day,” Crees said.
 
The young Tigers would be wise to heed the words of Crees, who has few peers when it comes to total immersion in the high school experience.
 
Crees, the Capitol Federal® True Blue® Student of the Week, first latched onto a chance to get involved when she ran for a middle school student council position. That involvement has increased tenfold during her time at EHS, where she serves as student body president and holds the top officer roles in the school’s National Honor Society and Kansas Association for Youth chapters.

 
She has also been a cheerleader and played basketball and soccer throughout high school.
 
“I may be new to the building, but it doesn’t take long to learn that Sydney is an amazing young lady,” said Eisenhower first-year principal Todd Hague, a former administrator at Cheney.
 
Crees has been far more than a token participant in her many activities, gravitating toward leadership roles since those middle school student council days. In late July and early August, she gained new perspectives on leadership by attending the HOBY World Leadership Congress in Chicago and the National Federation of State High School Associations’ Student Leadership Summit in Indianapolis.
 
At the weeklong HOBY event, held at Loyola University, Crees was paired in a small group with students from Taiwan and South Korea.
 
“Soon as you’re there, you’re talking to new people,” said Crees, who attended the HOBY Kansas leadership seminar a year ago. “I’ve never been exposed to people that different than me, but it was also cool to see how much the same we are.
 
“We have big differences in our way of life, but it was great to see how they are like me in wanting to do all this different stuff. I felt like I’m not alone in this.”
 
Crees went straight to Indianapolis from Chicago for the NFHS summit, where she was joined by Herington senior Sophia Weber. Both are in their second year on KSHSAA’s Student Advisory Team, a 12-member group of students from across the state who provide input to the organization’s board and staff members on issues affecting students.
 
In Indianapolis, Crees said a highlight was working with Indiana Special Olympians in a Unified Sports setting.
 
“We have Unified Sports at our school, but it was a new experience for me and I really liked it,” she said. “I’ve done a lot of leadership roles position-wise, but I learned there you can be a leader without a position just through making connections with people.”
 
Crees’ leadership foundation was solidified her sophomore year when she served on a fund-raising team for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Wichita Students of the Year program.
 
Together with older Eisenhower students Kari Khran and Bella Martens, the trio represented the JCStrong Legacy team, which was started a few years earlier in honor of JC Delamore, an Eisenhower student whose battle with leukemia ended with his death in 2018. Crees was two years behind JC in school and knows his family.
 
Over seven weeks, the trio planned and organized a Bingo night, pickleball tournament, a pancake feed and gift basket raffles among other activities. They raised more than $53,000.
 
“We worked closely with (JC’s) family, and it was really cool to see his mom be so happy that it was in her son’s legacy,” Crees said. “That was my favorite part. There was obviously a lot of leadership development in it, but the impact that you make is way more important.
 
“It was all grassroots, and it definitely gave me confidence to do other things.”
 
Crees hopes to foster a similar legacy culture in her leadership roles with organizations like KAY and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) during her final year at Eisenhower.
 
“Sydney is a natural leader who is well respected by her peers,” said Rachel Nally, Eisenhower’s student council adviser. “She works hard to make our school a better place for students and staff. I am grateful for Sydney.”
 
Crees credits Nally and Eisenhower business teacher Kristin Salazar for providing her with an early boost of confidence in pursuing her active high school lifestyle.
 
“They make everyone feel so important,” Crees said. “That’s what I like so much about them. No matter who you are, you can walk into their classroom and they make you feel important.
 
“They see that worth in everybody. That’s really helped me personally. They saw that in me as a freshman, and just gave me opportunities to really grow in a lot of these skills.”
 
Crees said extending outside her comfort zone has made her school experience more rewarding. She tried theater as a sophomore – uncharted territory for her – and enjoyed it. And while she hopes to study public health with an emphasis in pre-med in college, Crees participated in Business Professionals of America as a junior, earning a state Torch Award and qualifying for the organization’s national competition.
 
In basketball, Crees earned all-league honorable mention last season at guard while helping Eisenhower post a 14-7 record. She has played multiple positions in soccer, including goalkeeper for the Tigers last spring.
 
“I guess I’ve always just been like that,” Crees said. “Even with sports, I’ve always been really competitive and I want to help make a difference. I’ve just always cared so much about everything that I naturally went for those leadership positions.
 
“If I’m going to be involved with something, I don’t want to just be in the club. I want to do things with the club so it can be really good.”