This week, the Student Council (STUCO) is having its elections for this upcoming school year. Individual officer elections started today, Wednesday at 8 a.m.; general senator elections start at 8am on Friday.
STUCO is divided up between five officers and 30 senators. The officer positions are president, vice president, philanthropy chairs and treasurer. Anyone is able to run to be their class representative, but to run for officer you have to have been on STUCO for at least a year.
“People always say that STUCO elections are a popularity contest,” junior and STUCO president candidate Suri Fernandes said. “But it is the student body choosing who will best represent them.”
This year’s candidates for presidency are Gabe White and Suri Fernandes; vice president candidates are Kendall Jones and Jewel Lynne; treasurer candidates are Abbey Niemann, Nazifa Abdullah and Shaanav Sahgal; and philanthropy chairs candidates are Jarell Hull, Chloe Russ, Devontae Sartin, Fiona Jilka and Hannah Dinh.
Positions
The duties of STUCO president include representing the organization in front of the administration and state, planning Howdy Week and bonding nights, STUCO’s members only events. Senior Sharrin Jones was STUCO’s president this school year.
STUCO’s vice president is in charge of Homecoming week, planning out the dance, theme, events and dress-up days. Senior Sara Hassan held the position of vice president this school year.
The treasurer is responsible for STUCO money, managing the earnings from all the events and online donations, keeping a spreadsheet and giving the cash to the financial office. Junior Kendall Jones was treasurer this school year.
The Philanthropy chairs are responsible for all things Double Wolf Dare Week: looking over recipient applications, planning the theme and dress-up days and more. They are also responsible for planning all events that take place between HOCO and DWDW. Suri Fernandes and Ryan Robinson were philanthropy chairs this school year.
The senators are the committees for events; they help with the production at all STUCO events with logistics, decorating and encouraging students to participate in the activities.
Running process
To run to be part of STUCO, students apply, are interviewed and then elected by the student body.
“Everyone should do their part and vote,” junior and senior senator candidate Maddy McMillian said. “This process takes a lot of work and the candidates who win earn their spots.”
Firstly, candidates must submit an application, which is worth 30% of a candidate’s election. Then, candidates must complete a ten minute interview with Andrew Rosko, STUCO’s sponsor, senior STUCO’s members and other administrators, worth 40% of their election.
After submitting their application, candidates start their campaigns to gain votes; these campaigns include posters, buttons, keychains, bracelets, social media posts and more.
Finally, the elections are held. Officer elections are Wednesday and senator elections are Friday. Students can vote for their class representatives and officers through a link sent to their school email.
By voting, students elect the representatives that best reflect their interests, supporting them and becoming their voice in front of the school administration and giving the student body a voice in decisions that affect them.
Link to vote: https://api.voting4schools.com/mobile_school.php
