Leadership is preparing for the annual ASB (Associate Student Body) and class elections, which will determine the student leadership for the 2014-2015 school year.
While class positions govern a particular grade, ASB positions preside over the entire student body. ASB campaign week will occur March 17-20, and class campaign week will be held April 28 to May 1. On the final day of each week, students will vote in their 4th period classes.
Students interested in running or taking Leadership next year attended a meeting on February 27. The meeting discussed the expectations for Leadership participants and what the class entails. There will be an ASB election meeting on March 6, and a class election meeting on April 16.
After attending their respective meetings, students will then turn in a packet with the signatures of at least 50 people who are willing to support them in the campaign. “Usually the following week after they turn that in they’ll have elections and people will put up posters, they’ll go up to people and tell them ‘vote for me’,” said senior Newton Kwan, ASB President.
This year’s elections will take place nearly 6 weeks early than they have in the past. Kwan said that this will allow students to work through next year’s class schedule to be certain that they will be in Leadership, which is necessary for participation in elections.
“Some people just want to have that leeway and I’m sure the counselors appreciate it too, and it’s nice to have things tied up a little earlier so the people that we know will be here next year can shadow the people that came before them,” Kwan said.
According to Leadership advisor Dino Petrocco, more freshmen and sophomores will be able to participate in Leadership, which he believes will add depth to the class. In addition, ASB Commissioner of Student Affairs is the only position that will be appointed through an interview with Principal John Walker and Petrocco.
In Petrocco’s experience, many students have been reluctant to run a campaign for fear of losing. “You can’t be afraid that you might fail. If it doesn’t work out, you always have another chance,” Petrocco said in the election meeting.
Some students are also hesitant to become a visible member of the campus community. “Being part of leadership is putting yourself in the spotlight,” said senior Everett Tsang, ASB Vice President.
Kwan believes that participating in school government is an unparalleled experience, and would recommend it to anyone. “I ran for Junior class president in my sophomore year going into my junior year and then my junior year going into my senior year I ran for ASB President,” he said.
“It was sort of like a gateway to connect to more people, to talk to them, because a lot of us aren’t super comfortable with going out of our comfort zones,” Kwan said.
