While tension was rising in the political world, on Sep. 19 Estefania Andrade and Patrick Rosel prepared to be the protagonists in their own election for Freshmen Class President. The election was run by the Associated Student body in which students voted through the Five-Star App platform. With a total of 576 freshmen eligible to vote, approximately 25 students voted.
“It just really shows the student’s involvement,” ASB Adviser Lania Padilla, said.
Running for Class President gives students an opportunity to practice leadership and take initiative in school by providing a voice for students. Additionally, running for Class President can be used on college applications. Elections are held so students can choose someone to represent them they trust and get familiarized with the subject of politics and voting.
“I didn’t vote because I didn’t know where to vote,” Juan Becerra, 9, said.
The voting process was online. Students were sent an email with the link to vote on Five Star. The students that did not participate said they felt uninformed, unaware and confused about the election and how to vote. Others felt they were not given enough time to make their decisions and hoped to get to know the candidates better.
“Voting is important to make the school a better place,” Valery Leon, 9 said.
A Class President’s job is to represent the students when planning events, and making decisions to help the school. Currently Rosel’s main goal is to put air conditioning in the gyms so students can cool down when they’ve come back from P.E. Class presidents also get to participate in pep rallies and homecoming planning.
“Our job is to listen to other people’s opinions, like freshmen if they have any questions or anything,” Freshman Vice President, Andrade, 9, said.
In addition to making changes to the school and planning events, Andrade and Rosel hope to understand and communicate with the freshman students. When representing students, understanding them and their needs is a crucial part of deciding what to improve. Being a freshman class officer can be challenging in that aspect because it requires being open minded, patient, and respectful at all times.
“It’s important to understand the people, their feelings, their emotions really and their thought process,” Freshmen Class President, Rosel, 9, said.
