Hannah Cantrell is a hardworking, diligent, kind and inclusive student leader and athlete whose work ethic and collaboration left a mark at Flathead High School, say the educators who nominated her for the Winslow Nichols Leadership Award. 

The award honors the academic achievements and community involvement of students who improve the lives of others.  

Cantrell, who graduated earlier this month with a 4.0 GPA, plans to study business — entrepreneurship — and minor in health at the University of New Hampshire. 

She said the health minor keeps future options open if she pursues medicine or nursing, influenced in part by her father’s work as a doctor and Flathead High School’s biomedical program, which she completed, graduating with a health science distinction and 4.0 GPA. 

In the entrepreneurial spirit, one career goal is already clear. 

“I want to start something that helps people,” Cantrell said. 

Leadership was a common thread through Cantrell’s high school career. As senior class secretary, she helped plan homecoming, a winter dance and a school food drive, said Flathead Assistant Principal and Student Council adviser Andrew Stiger. 

Through Brave Pack Rising, a student-led group focused on school culture, she was inspired during a group trip to an Arizona high school to create a program connecting high school students with elementary schools. 

After coordinating with the district’s six elementary principals, Cantrell arranged for presenters from Flathead and Glacier high schools and Linderman Education Center to attend assemblies recognizing elementary students who embodied the district’s “profile of a graduate” traits. 

“The biggest reason we did that was so that they would get to know someone, like, get to know a high school student,” Cantrell said, later adding, “I think it really provides them with a better understanding of what life’s looking like [going] forward.” 

“And by the end of this year, when we did our cap and gown walks, I’d say probably 80% of the student body knew me. It was really cute,” she said. 

By inviting presenters from all three schools, Cantrell hoped to send a message of unity and community, whether the elementary students go on to attend Flathead, Glacier or Linderman. 

“Yes, rivalry is great — very needed for sports, and it’s fun — but there’s a certain level of rivalry, and we can also be friends,” she said. “I know there are Flathead kids that don’t know any Glacier kids and all they hear is like the rumors and stereotypes, so we’re just trying to break down the stereotypes.” 

As an executive mentor in Flathead’s Brave Mentoring program, Cantrell helped train peer mentors who supported freshmen navigating high school. She said the role required collaboration and adaptability. 

“Definitely, I had to adapt a lot, and I definitely learned a lot about myself as a leader through that and was able to give back to Flathead,” Cantrell said. 

Cantrell said the mentoring program taught her to occasionally hit pause and listen. 

“I’m a very outgoing person, so I’d say if there’s a class project, I’m usually the one to be like, all right. Let’s get this done. This is what we should do,” she said. “But through mentoring, I’ve realized more that it’s important to step back and to listen a lot more because I like to just get it done.” 

Asked what makes a good leader, Cantrell emphasized listening, compassion and leading by example, whether in the classroom or on the athletic field. 

“Somebody who listens to other people’s ideas definitely makes a good leader, because otherwise, you’re not going to get anywhere. You can’t do it all on your own,” she said.  

“I want to be the leader that people feel they can come to, and they know that I will work my hardest to implement their ideas or at least have a discussion,” Cantrell added. 

Cantrell credited business classes and DECA, where she served as the Flathead chapter president, to building her business acumen. DECA is a nationwide organization where students compete in business marketing, finance, hospitality and management events.   

This year, she placed first at the Montana DECA competition in Human Resource Management, where competitors had 30 minutes to prepare for a roleplay scenario before presenting it to a judge. 

“That one requires a lot of quick thinking,” she said. 

Sports were also central to Cantrell’s high school experience. She competed in lacrosse, volleyball, basketball and flag football, and served as a lacrosse camp coach and youth referee.   

She said the camaraderie of the flag football team made the season memorable, especially a senior-night win over Glacier. In college, she hopes to expand the sport by establishing a flag football club. 

As part of the Winslow Nichols Leadership Award, Cantrell was able to donate $250 to a school club or activity. 

“I chose to donate it to the flag football team because no other group of girls has ever made me feel so loved, and no other coach has ever empowered and supported me the way coach Jess [Hensley] did,” she said. 

Lacrosse was her longest-running sport, beginning in elementary school and continuing with the Northwest Avalanche Lacrosse Club, where she and friends helped grow the girls’ side of the sport in the valley. She wants to continue playing club lacrosse in college. 

After applying to more than a dozen colleges in the United States and one in Canada, Cantrell chose the University of New Hampshire for its proximity to Boston, beaches and the White Mountains. A campus visit and merit scholarship sealed the decision. 

“It really felt like God was pushing me in this direction ... just opening up that door a little bit wider than the rest,” Cantrell said.  

She said she does not yet know exactly what career she wants, but is confident that the road ahead will become more defined when she starts classes in the fall. 

 “I am so open to wherever God takes my path,” she said. 

Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 406-758-4431 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.