Like the many Student Council presidents before me, working alongside Principal Hughes was one of the biggest things I looked forward to for my senior year. During my first year on the Student Council Cabinet, Mr. Hughes hosted the officers in his conference room for weekly Cabinet meetings. He often went out of his way to join us in these meetings to collaborate on ideas and projects that we were planning. I will never forget when Student Council planned the Sandwich Showdown, a fundraiser for the LM and Harriton Student Councils. We started with a sandwich tasting party in the conference room, trying each DiBruno Brothers sandwich one by one. The following week, we headed over to Suburban Square to film a promo video for the fundraiser. I never would have imagined that I would be going to the farmers market with my principal, but I just think that goes to show how willing he was to help his students and be involved with LM. Now I truly think that filming this video was maybe one of the best parts of my high school extracurricular experience. The video we made alongside Harriton’s principal, Mr. Weinstein, and the Harriton Student Council was something else. I cannot help but smile and laugh when I rewatch the video.
As sad as I feel now, there’s something about the memories that I have of my time with Mr. Hughes that makes me want to smile more than cry. I strongly suggest looking back through the Aces Nation Instagram account to see some of the things that made Mr. Hughes so special. After Mr. Hughes passed, I decided to go looking for the 2020 Maroon Madness promo video, but stumbled upon the administrators’ COVID prevention music video “Covidbusters” instead. Watching and laughing to that, I thought about how lucky LM was to have Mr. Hughes as our leader. During my time here, I admired watching Mr. Hughes not only be a mentor but a support system for the student body.
Mr. Hughes was constantly telling me how much more he wished we could have worked together last year, like he usually was able to before the pandemic. Thinking back now, I regret that I didn’t take that more to heart. I wished I could have collaborated with him more, but looking back at what we did accomplish, specifically with his support, I know that he did everything in his power to make the 2020-21 school year the best it could be through his guidance to me as president.
Even with the many barriers that came with planning events during the pandemic, Mr. Hughes was always looking to support Student Council. If there was anything anyone ever needed, he would respond enthusiastically ready to help. And what was even more special about that was there was no fear in reaching out to him. Mr. Hughes made sure to foster relationships that allowed for mutual respect and collaboration, with no intimidation whatsoever.
Having received the news of Mr. Hughes’s passing while at college, I was seriously taken aback. I yearned to be back with the LM community. But being here instilled a deeper understanding of just how impactful Mr. Hughes was to me. No one around me understood why I was so upset after hearing about the death of my high school principal. To others, their principals were simply administrators in their high schools with which they had no personal connection. To me, Mr. Hughes was both a role model and a companion. He showed me how to be a leader and to remember that character counts. Regardless of my position in Student Council, he was there for me and wanted to see me succeed. I think that is what he really wanted for all of his students. I feel for those students at LM who never got to know Sean Hughes; however, I know that even though he is gone, his legacy will prevail and continue to support students and faculty for years to come.
