An alternate spelling for "teamwork" at Siuslaw High School could be C-L-A-I-R-E.

As in Claire Waggoner, the school's student-body president and co-captain of the varsity volleyball team.

Next week Thursday, Waggoner and teammates Brittany Long, Elyssa Rose and Abby Watkins will be honored at senior-recognition night on the Vikings' last scheduled home match of the season.

"It's going to be really crazy," Waggoner said. "It will mean a lot, having all my family with me. And I think the student section will be packed."

All four seniors are starters on a Vikings team that leads the Far West League with a 6-1 record, following Tuesday's sweep of Marshfield at Glenn Butler Court.

If all goes as hoped, Siuslaw will cap a league championship season with a victory over North Bend. The Bulldogs are the only team to beat the Vikings in league play this season.

"North Bend is a huge game," Waggoner said. "It will mean a lot to win on senior night against them. We want it. We want that one."

What Claire wants, Claire often delivers on.

As an active member of the school's community service club, Interact, she spearheaded a project that resulted in two clean-water bottle filling stations on campus.

As student-body president, she organized a successful tailgate party at the Siuslaw-North Bend football game.

"A positive, exciting homecoming is our main focus now," Waggoner said. "Our tailgate party went over really well."

She has big plans for a Veterans Day assembly in November.

"We just got that approved, and that's special to me," Waggoner said. "It's great we're giving back to the veterans. The kids will be able to interact with them."

And as co-captain, she hopes to lead the Vikings well into the postseason.

"We have a ton of talent, which is obvious," Waggoner said. "You can see that. With that talent, we have a lot of different attitudes.

"I think at the beginning of the season, we had a hard time figuring out how to bring the attitudes together."

That's where senior leadership comes in.

"We're always picking each other up," Waggoner said. "Even when we might be a little frustrated with someone, I can see the girls high-fiving them afterwards."

The North Bend game will be the first of at least three senior-recognition events for Waggoner, a letter winner in basketball and softball as well as volleyball. Given the opportunity, she hopes to play softball in college.

"I had my heart set on going to Linfield," she said. "My dad played college football there, and we have a lot of family ties there."

But then came this past summer, and a one-week softball camp at George Fox University in Newberg, just down the road from Linfield.

"I really love the campus, and I love the Christian atmosphere," Waggoner said. "That means a lot. That's huge to me. It will be a big factor."

Meanwhile, she's enjoying the moment.

There are road trips to Brookings-Harbor and Douglas before the home finale against North Bend.

This weekend, there might be a hunting trip with her dad.

"It's my favorite thing to do with my dad," Waggoner said. "I love hunting itself. The part I love the most is the time I get to spend with my dad."

Then it's back to the books and the team.

"We're playing better, and it's so exciting to be in first place," Waggoner said. "You go through a losing season, and it can be really discouraging.

"I think for everyone, after all these years, after all this time, the hard work is paying off."