Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

The student body should vote for me because I really love Strath Haven. I’m very involved in different sports and clubs, and I have a positive attitude, and I am dedicated to making the school a better place for everyone. I was hoping to add another field day and more wellness days in the winter to get everybody more excited, because winter is kind of a bad time in the school year. I was also hoping to increase participation in spirit weeks by maybe having a ‘Best Dressed’ winner of the week win a small award, to get people more involved in the school.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I am motivated to make Haven feel like a place [where] everybody is welcome, because I feel like I have a good group of people, and I feel very comfortable here, but I haven’t always felt that way. I think it’s just important to have leaders at the school who really prioritize making everybody enjoy their time in high school. So I’m thinking for at least the first week of school,  [Student Council] officers will wear little pins or something that just says, [Student Council], here to help, because as a freshman, it’s a lot to get used to the school. That way, people can know that if you go up to this person, you ask how to get to your class, like, they’re gonna be kind to you, and they’re gonna make sure you get there and be helpful.

Candidate for: President

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I think the student body should vote for me, because they should know that I’m super passionate about this position, and I’ll put all of my work and all my heart into this position, and at no point while I’m in the position will I regret it, and I’ll always be working 110% for it.

“What are some changes you would look to make if elected?”

[I would] make it easier for students to see activities and make sure that things are planned in advance and that timing is really on point, because I know that stress is really big during the school year, and one thing that could help reduce stress is a really good time schedule and having things planned out. And so if students were to know when things were to be happening a lot more in advance, and if things were to be planned out really well, I’m sure that their stress levels would go down significantly.

“How would you accomplish this?”

Probably just really using up any free time that we have, and making sure that things are communicated really well over the Instagram, and even maybe if it’s not over the Instagram, if they don’t follow it over email too. And also making sure that students have a voice in it if they think it’s communicated well. I really love feedback from students, so I’d really love to hear some of that.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I think the student body should vote for me because I’m a very clear communicator, and I’m also very much involved in a variety of activities and events at Strath Haven, so I believe that I’ll be able to represent the student body. I’m also very open to ideas, and I’m a very friendly person, so I’ll definitely make sure that whenever someone has an idea or anything they’d like to see a change in, I’ll definitely listen to them and make sure that I can clearly communicate that to the rest of the people on Student Council.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I think the student body should vote for me because I’m a very clear communicator, and I’m also very much involved in a variety of activities and events at Strath Haven, so I believe that I’ll be able to represent the student body. I’m also very open to ideas, and I’m a very friendly person, so I’ll definitely make sure that whenever someone has an idea or anything they’d like to see a change in, I’ll definitely listen to them and make sure that I can clearly communicate that to the rest of the people on Student Council.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

They should vote for me because I’m a really dedicated person in everything I do. And as an officer, I would work to make everyone feel heard and supported. I would help us develop new activities that make people feel included and are fun to help bring people together.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I’m a good candidate for the position because I’m outgoing and enjoy collaborating with other people and working together to do good for the school. I want to make every day a great day at Strath Haven. I really want people to be more involved in spirit days. My plan for that also is just to be really approachable and really outgoing when it comes to getting people involved in the school.

Candidate for: President

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I think that the student body should vote for me because I think that I have a really good connection and relationship with the student body, I’m not afraid of confrontation, and I can speak my mind and be able to address any situations that come up.

“What are some changes you would look to make if elected?”

To be honest, I think that there are some more things we can do as a school with pep rallies and stuff. I know that every time we have one, the student body does really look forward to it and it gives them a break from the stress, especially for seniors that are looking at college and stuff. So I think that it’s important to take care of mental health.

“How would you accomplish this?”

I think that we need to just plan it and let the teachers know the schedule beforehand, so it’s not sprung onto them, so they can schedule around these days, so that they can get approved by the administration beforehand.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

Because I have a lot of brave ideas. Also, I’m a voice for people who have long, hard challenges. I was thinking for homecoming, maybe bracelets with their colors matching the T-shirts.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I believe that the most important thing is the people who make us strong as a whole. Communication is key, which will be my main focus. I want to enhance the unity throughout the district. The community at Strath Haven is already strong. I believe that if we promote more collaboration between grades, we can become stronger together. I wanted to create stronger unity and more communication between not only the grade levels, but I also wanted to focus on the middle school too, and really just focus on giving them updates, and creating a better environment between them. I also wanted to have more places during fifth block to study after the library is closed. 

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I want to focus on making the school a more enjoyable and welcoming place for students, especially lowerclassmen. I will do what needs to be done and help the people, like [Noah Henderson] said, I agree with that.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

The student body should vote for me, because being part of both the music program and being a three-season athlete, I can [hear] issues from both sides. I really want to help the student body to become more unified in terms of attending school events. Because I’m deeply involved in two of the largest extracurriculars, I believe that I’m the candidate who has the best chance of helping achieve this goal.

Candidate for: President

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

Through my involvement in many different types of Haven activities, through sports and clubs and different classes, I’ve learned a lot about what Haven needs, and I’ve learned a lot about what students need and student opinions. And I think that I could be a great candidate at making sure that students feel heard and implementing systems where students feel like their opinion is listened to and and and to cater a Haven community where there’s a lot of school spirit and people are able to work hard and have fun at the same time.

“What are some changes you would look to make if elected?”

I’m looking to make a change in the career services that we’ve had. So I was thinking about making field trips where people can visit local businesses and communities and see what it looks like for them, and if they would be interested in it. And I also want to create a time during lunch where people can talk to Mr. Benzing in the library, and there’s more opportunities during lunch, like Coffee House and listening to student musicians in the library.

“How would you accomplish this?”

I think that I have a great connection with some of the administrators and teachers, and I think that I would be a good voice for the student body, just with how passionate I am about everyone.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

Well, I think the student body should vote for me for student council officer, because I’m very extroverted and great at socializing with others. And one of the biggest things is that I have a great idea that I feel like not many other officers are offering and putting on the table, and that’s summer jobs for students in need, because I feel like that’s a very difficult thing for some students, especially with busy schedules as high schoolers. And I’m excited to work with students and teachers and be able to provide information on things like that. Miss Dunning and I are working with summer camp staff, summer camp jobs, and just summer jobs in general, where they’re hiring high school students, where we’re gonna have, we’re gonna try to have an activities fair like event, where students can go look at the job, see what fits their day to day schedule the best.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I’m going to work to bring school spirit back and bring everyone closer together, while also keeping the students happy and making sure the students are having fun. I would push for people to come out to events like the big band night, school plays, and sporting events to bring everyone together as a whole.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

The student body should vote for me because I’m a very involved person at the school. I do a lot of diverse things, such as chorus and sports, so I feel like I have a good way to show everyone’s opinions and voices, and really try to get the whole student body’s opinions on matters. I really want to try to find other ways to advocate for our pep rallies and spirit days to get people involved. I think there are other ways that we can try to get kids involved and market it better than just social media and Schoology.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

The student body should vote for me because I am involved in a plethora of activities, and among those, I take the time to make relationships with people and have friendships. I would advocate for a lot of different voices of mixed communities, and I would also have the confidence to talk to administration or get things done that need to be done. I would take the initiative, and I would talk to my peers, and I would talk to the leaders of [Student Council] and administration, like Mr. Benzing. I want to talk to and be persistent and get out what I need to say.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I think they should vote for me because of my experience. I’ve played two sports, I co-host The Panther Pod, and I’m co-executive of SMASH, so I have a lot of experience. But also, they should vote for me because I’m down-to-earth and talk to a lot of people. I talk on the podcast all the time, I talk to different people in my sports, and I know people from a lot of grades. I’m always talking to kids, and I know their experience and what they want in school. One of the biggest issues I want to advocate for is bathrooms. I think cleaning up bathrooms is important because we often walk in there, and it’s just not in great condition. I also think the fifth block should be a little bit easier for kids who come in for 10 minutes and then don’t have anything to do for the rest of the day. Instead of looking at your phone, we can put chess, cards, and games out in the area between the gazebo and classes on the third floor. Finally, I think talking to the administration and having a good relationship with the people who make the decisions is huge. 

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

The student body should vote for me because I’ve been on student council this past year, so I know what it takes to serve as officer again. Additionally, as I am involved in many clubs and activities, I can bring a fresh set of perspectives to student council. Finally, as a rising senior, I’m very motivated to leave a lasting impact on the school community. 

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I think the student body should vote for me because I’m involved in a lot of activities and interact with a lot of people, and I want to make all those people’s voices heard and allow them to have the best experience at school. I plan to do this by listening in class to conversations where these topics come up, and by making sure I represent the voices that I hear throughout the day and at my student council meetings.

Candidate for: President

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I think they should vote for me because I’m involved in all different kinds of activities. I’m involved in sports, music, and I also lead a club. And because I’m involved in so many different kinds of activities, I can see the school from multiple perspectives and really diverse lenses, which I think is the key to creating change from all like positive change from all different angles.

“What are some changes you would look to make if elected?”

There’s many ways that I want to get input from the student body, because that’s the most important thing to me, having the student body be allowed to have a voice. So one of the things that I want to implement is what I call a Haven tip box, where it’s a place where students can really speak their mind and let us know, anonymously or not, some things that they’d like to see implemented or changed within the school, or just any general feedback we have. Things can often get lost between the students and the administration, so I want to be a bridge to close that gap.

“How would you accomplish this?”

Obviously, this would require a lot of communication between the student council, teachers, administration and also the students themselves. And I intend to work very hard to get everyone’s opinion and just to make sure that everyone’s on the same page for everything, and at the end of the day, it will require a lot of positivity and effort and open-mindedness from all different parties. But I think that the people who make up Strath Haven are exactly those kinds of people.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I think the student body should vote for me, because I do a lot of activities. I think I have a really good understanding of all the activities and the different aspects of Haven. I can use that knowledge and apply it to my ideas and our student body, and make it seen and aware and make it a physical aspect of Haven. Some of my ideas are to really make all the activities and events at our school more [visible]. I just want a lot of people engaging in those activities. Because I just love the different aspects of Haven, I think other people should be able to enjoy them. And if they’re unaware [of it], then how are they able to enjoy that? Since middle school, I have been asked if I wanted to join certain groups during lunches. And that could be anxiety from classes and like different skills to grow from that, or stress-reducing classes doing the exact same thing. Or also study skills, like preparing for the SATs and stuff. So, as a student council officer, I want to make it more of a thing that people can sign up for, and make them more aware of that. Also, I think it’s a better way to help the mental health awareness at our school, because I know that we strive for that. We have Wellness Wednesdays, and I think that’s a great thing, but I also think that’s more stuff to help us reduce, rather than skills that we can put forward in the future. So I want to be able to bring that into the table by using those classes and stuff.

Candidate for: President

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I do lots of sports in different clubs, so I’m able to talk to lots of different people if I were to be president this year. I’m also looking to do things like strengthen the bond between administrators. And students. So I think that’s a reason to vote for me as well. And I also want to incorporate more stress free things. 

“What are some changes you would look to make if elected?”

Increasing that administrator-student bond [is important]. I think some ways we could do this, or maybe having a day during the winter or spring when we allow for the students and teachers to maybe eat lunch together, or I know we have that field day in the spring, so maybe allowing for the teachers to play the games with us, the fall is definitely our busiest time for student council. So I wanted to incorporate more things in the winter and spring. I also wanted to incorporate maybe a day where younger children can get and come into the high school and get to do things like play games or read books with the high schoolers. So this is a way for high schoolers to have a less stressful thing to do during the day, and for younger kids can experience with an older kid.

“How would you accomplish this?”

I would look to implement these changes, probably just by communicating with faculty and other administrative members. They’re really who make the changes for our school, so I think just communicating with them is important.

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

 I want to help decorate and make plans for the different dances, spirit weeks and [other events].

Candidate for: Officer

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

The student body should vote for me because if I’m elected to Student Council, I’ll advocate for students’ mental health. That’ll be one of the things I bring up to administration and [I will] come up with new ways to support students with their mental health. And I want to make sure every student feels included in every activity possible. One of my big ideas to bring to the school is starting a Special Olympics day because I’m in Best Buddies and unified sports, and that’s been a great experience for me. I think everyone should be able to experience that.

Candidate for: President

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I think I’m involved in many different aspects of Strath Haven. I can hear different voices from different parts of the community, and through the involvement that I’ve established over my last three years at [Haven], I have just really become more committed to this school and to fostering a positive school environment.

“What are some changes you would look to make if elected?”

I think that mental health is very important, and I think that our school has been starting to make it more of a priority, but I think that opportunities for the student council to get involved make it a bigger part and destigmatize the conversation around it. [We could] have school events before finals, posters with more resources, and just more mental health advocacy through Student Council, I think would be, is just one of the things that [I’d] do.

“How would you accomplish this?”

Working with teachers and. And I’m also part of the mental health club, I want leadership. I think working with the mental health club, as well as the members of the Student Council cabinet, could help. I think by working and getting differing perspectives from students, I could take all of their suggestions and make something really beneficial.

Candidate for:

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I believe the student body should vote for me because I am very involved in Strath Haven. I do a ton of clubs. I play a bunch of sports, all the seasons, [and I’m involved in] many clubs, like Best Buddies and class cabinet and just a bunch of [other] clubs as well. I can accommodate everyone’s voices and needs. I definitely want to boost school spirit and unify the student body in a way that makes me feel like we can have more events after school. I mean, like five or seven on weekends. And I definitely just want to have more school spirit and bring more energy to the school.

Candidate for: School Board Representative

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I think the student body should vote for me because I’m a pretty good example of what Strath Haven means. I’m involved in music, I’m involved in sports,  and I’m a part of lots of clubs. I’ve been in speech and debate, and I’m right now in Green Haven and Asian Haven.

“Why are you qualified for this role?”

I think I’m qualified for this role because I’m perfectly comfortable speaking in public and speaking my mind. I’ll do my best to tell the school board what the student body is feeling at all times. 

“What are some issues you would bring before the school board if elected?”

I know the phone policy is a really hot topic right now, so I plan to bring that up to the school board a lot. I personally think we don’t need it, and students should be able to choose what they do with their phones. Also, everyone always says when they’re running for this position that they’ll send out a weekly summary email, but that never happens. I would like to do my best to go through with that.

Candidate for: School Board Representative

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I really think that the students are what make up Strath Haven, and our learning environment and our whole school should reflect what the students really want, and I think I can bring that voice into the spotlight.

“Why are you qualified for this role?”

I’ve been a part of clubs like speech and debate, where I get a lot of experience with public speaking, which is something you do when you are a school board representative. And I also have a lot of experience researching different perspectives and making sure a lot of different perspectives are represented in what I am presenting. I’m also part of a lot of different kinds of organizations, like sports and music groups, which I think gives me a pretty good overview of what the student body, or different groups, want from their school.

“What are some issues you would bring before the school board if elected?”

I’m looking to bring the student perspective of, like, phones and Wi Fi in front of the school board. I know that the school has been trying to gain a bigger perspective on what students want with their phones. So I really just want to make that clear about what the students do want. And I’m planning to do like surveys and stuff to kind of get a general overview of what the students really want from that. And I also want to make Schoology more uniform, just to make it easier for the students to be able to use in order to create, like, a less stressful environment. I think that right now, Schoology is confusing for everyone, but the responsibility of figuring out how to navigate Schoology and how to navigate different teacher classrooms shouldn’t fall on the students.

Candidate for: School Board Representative

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

Three main reasons: first, proper representation. I think I’m involved in a wide variety. of activities. I’m also involved in soccer, which is sort of in athletics. So I’m sort of here, I can hear complaints or things that are working out good from there, and also maybe on the more nerdy side of things like speech and debate and Science Olympiad. So I’m hearing things from there, like club funding, maybe, and sort of fifth block scheduling things. And they’re all things I can relay [well] from proper representation. I’ll be able to hear your student voice, right? The second reason is courage. I think I’m a pretty straightforward and honest person, and part of the job with School Board Representatives talking with administrators, so just sort of understanding, just being honest and straightforward. I feel like I can do a good job of being honest and courageous when it comes to those things. My third reason is communication. I do congressional debate, which is sort of the base [for me]… You have to have a certain appeal to people older than you, and I think I’m all learning that through congressional debate pretty well. That’s something important that I can do well.

“Why are you qualified for this role?”

I’m not gonna go in detail about every single issue that faces WSSD. But the whole point is just sort of bridging the gap between the administrators and students, making sure there’s not a disconnect. I don’t want there to be a disconnect, and I want to communicate well. 

“What are some issues you would bring before the school board if elected?”

I’m not gonna go in detail about every single issue that faces WSSD. But the whole point is just sort of bridging the gap between the administrators and students, making sure there’s not a disconnect. I don’t want there to be a disconnect, and I want to communicate well. I would definitely [bring up] the cell phone policy, like, maybe they’re sort of thinking, ‘oh, kids are on their cell phones all day.’ That’s bad, and [while] kids are on their cell phones all day, they don’t understand why. So sort of just like bridging that disconnect.

Candidate for: School Board Representative

“Why should the student body vote for you?”

I’m going to do forms, I think either monthly or bi-monthly, maybe even more often if they want that. Basically, I get to ask students about their opinions on student policies, like the cell phone policy, free Wi Fi, etc. And I could get feedback so I could present that to the board, and also just be a space for students to advertise events in the school or complain about certain things.

“Why are you qualified for this role?”

I do speech, the speech part of speech and debate. So I’m already really used to speaking in front of people. Another reason I think I’ll make a great candidate is that I think not many have emphasized this yet, but I want to emphasize listening to the students. I know the usual motto is ‘I will speak for you,’ but I promise to listen first [and] pay more attention to what the students have to say. I’ll focus on speaking, but I want to hear what the students want to say [and] make sure I say that clearly.

“What are some issues you would bring before the school board if elected?”

The first one [is] the cell phone policies, like what is going on over there? Like, are we going to keep phones during lunch? And [I’ll] make sure I represent the students’ opinions on that. I’m probably going to collect data to present. The second one is probably Schoology. I want to get a clear answer on when Schoology will finally go away, if the school is even planning on finally removing it at all. And the final one is probably just free Wi-Fi, because it’s really annoying.