Senior class offices will be contested by the following candidates. Bryant Barca and Tulsi Patel are running for president; Peter George Baglow and Joey Harshman are running for vice president; Alex Deitering and Grace Shaul are running for secretary. Below are the views of the candidates explaining why they wish to be elected, how they can contribute as a leader, and what the challenges are facing the school. Elections will be held on Thursday May 15th and Friday May 16th.
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Bryant Barca
Why do you wish to be an elected member of Student Government?
I wish to be an elected member of Student Government because I see it as a great opportunity to strengthen the bridge between staff and students. It is my belief that more vital than any other student responsibilities, is the ability to make change. However, change should only be made where change is needed, and repeatedly, I feel I have observed changes being made out of ennui and a dissatisfaction of inactivity. As President, I would make it my job to find the proper balance in terms of making change where change is needed while also being conscious of the phrase, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.
What do you think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should look like? How do you see yourself contributing to student leadership at SJHS?
The role of a student government officer at Saint Joe should center on advocacy, inclusion, and courageous leadership. The Class President MUST be adept in communication with their direct peers, as well as all members of the student body. The undeniable division of the student body can be observed in two main categories: grade level and ethnicity. It is the role of the President to not only break these barriers themself, but to allow room for others to follow in the same path. This is one of my main targets in terms of specific contributions—I want to shrink the gap that stands between the students’ grade levels and ethnicities. I was personally afforded this experience by former Student Body President Ian Joyce, who made sure I was comfortable talking to ANYBODY, even as a freshman. I now wish to provide others with the same, ideally even better exposure to what the Saint Joe community can be like as a greater union. I would be a valuable asset to the student body because, unlike others, I do not fear being countercultural in the name of better change. When I attend PAC (Principal’s Advisory Council) meetings, I propose generally any idea suggested to me by my peers, despite any “heat” that might come my way as a result. An example of this is the “War on Bathroom Policy” that I have started in light of many students reaching out to me. I believe that having to use the bathroom does not come from a place of malice, as it is a regular body function, and therefore students should not be penalized for having to do so. I will continue to fight for this going into next year until a just resolution is met. Another example of me fighting for the good of the student body is directly voting against higher academic standards as part of Student Government. I believe that leadership cannot be graded on the same scale as an English paper or math test. Ultimately, I am for the people.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing the students at our school today? How will you help the student face these challenges?
If I had to choose one challenge that I have observed, I could describe it in one word: transparency. Transparency is defined as “the quality of being easy to perceive or detect”. With respect to Saint Joe, transparency needs to be achieved in several facets. I would start with transparency between Student Government and the general student body. Often times, members of student government are met with phrases such as “student government doesn’t actually do anything”. While this can be interpreted as hostile, I prefer to interpret this as a missed opportunity for understanding as a result of minimal transparency. As President, I would make certain that the student body has immediate access to know what exactly it is that goes on in Student Government. Mr. Luczynski ends all of his emails with, “Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”, a quote from neuroscientist, Eric Jensen. However, it is my belief that there doesn’t have to be an “until”, and that students should be able to know both how much Student Government knows and how much Student Government cares at all times.
Tulsi Patel
Why do you wish to be an elected member of Student Government?
I want to be Class President because I will get the opportunity to take an active role in the governing body of Saint Joe. I believe that this role would provide a greater understanding for me of what it takes to be someone who others can look to in order to help strengthen the school community. Being a class officer is all about creating an inclusive family where everyone feels valued. Diversity is important to me, and I am committed to promoting it within our student body. As President, I will make sure our meetings are as organized and efficient as possible, especially because we work to organize events that are for the students and by the students so that the entire student body is brought closer together.
What do you think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should look like? How do you see yourself contributing to student leadership at SJHS?
As a former class representative for both my sophomore and junior years and, now, next year’s Spanish Honor Society President, I have developed a strong understanding of what effective leadership and student advocacy look like. My past leadership roles have taught me how to work with diverse groups of people and take initiative when it matters most. I see myself contributing to this position as someone who can understand the views of others and make sure that the administration of Saint Joe considers those views. I have always been someone who follows through on responsibilities and tries to make a real impact. I am not afraid to take initiative, so I will not wait for someone else to step up when something needs to be done, but I also know how to step back and listen when needed. Each of my activities in school have offered me an insight into the skills needed to have such an important leadership role. During the EuroChallenge and FedChallenge, I loved presenting to professionals and working with a team to develop thoughtful policy recommendations, something that I can bring to PAC meetings. In the Spanish Honor Society, we promote the study of Spanish and cultural awareness in order to create an environment of inclusion, a goal that I will continue to strive for as Class President.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing the students at our school today? How will you help the student face these challenges?
One of the biggest challenges students face at Saint Joe is the lack of open communication between students and the administration, which can lead to a feeling of being unheard or disconnected from school decisions. This disconnect contributes to stress and a lack of community among students, especially when it comes to their workload, schedules, or school policies. Saint Joe is supposed to be a community where students are excited to be a part of the culture created here, but this cannot happen unless the perspectives of students are taken into consideration when making decisions regarding the school. As Class President, I will take pride in my ability to effectively communicate the needs of the students. The job of the president is to help set the agenda for upcoming PAC meetings. I plan on leading more peer driven discussions to encourage more engagement in our student body. Student can communicate what they want subjects of the meetings to be, and I will ensure they are addressed in the agenda with the administration.
VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Peter George Baglow
Why do you wish to be an elected member of Student Government?
I wish to be elected as a member of student government because I believe that I can bring enthusiasm and confidence to the role. I am a friendly and outgoing person who is not afraid to talk with students and teachers. This will help me to understand what people want and need from our high school experience. Saint Joe deserves student leaders who are eager to serve. And I believe that I am that kind of person. I love Saint Joe, and I won’t be afraid to show it and bring others along in my excitement for our community.
What do you think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should look like? How do you see yourself contributing to student leadership at SJHS?
I see the role of an officer at Saint Joe as a messenger of what the student body actually wants and needs. Leadership is about listening, serving, and standing up. The most fundamental skill for anyone in the public eye is the ability to be able to convey something meaningful, as we see through all the great communicators of history. This skill is one that I believe I have. I am not afraid to convey what our student body is wanting to the administration. This ability to communicate from student to staff would be my most important contribution to student leadership at SJHS but not my only one. I would also bring a lot of confidence to any responsibility I am given and a drive to fulfill all that I set out to do. I’m an enthusiastic person, but also one with consistent follow-through.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing the students at our school today? How will you help the student face these challenges?
It’s apathy, hands down, no question. Anyone who attends knows the turn out for our football games or track meets would agree with me on this. I want us as a student body to start caring, not just in our own activities, but in the entire school culture as a whole. I think that the moments where this school feels most special is when we are all able to truly put ourselves into enjoying and rallying around something as community like we saw at the State Basketball Game, or even at school dances. As a Senior Officer I would hope to help us begin to care more by promoting changes that students would actually like to see. Such changes would help students feel more able to engage with our school’s wider culture as a whole. And that happen by attending games or simply participating more fully in all school Mass.
Joey Harshman
Why do you wish to be an elected member of Student Government?
I want to be an elected member of Student Government because I want to continue serving my fellow students. During my time as a sophomore and junior class representative, I’ve developed in my skills as a leader, growing in my ability to collaborate and communicate effectively in order to accomplish what needs to get done. As Vice President of the Senior Class, I will continue to utilize these skills and prioritize the common goals of our class. During my time in Student Government, I have also worked on a number of important school events, including helping to organize Homecoming, Midwinter, and Prom. From these experiences, I learned important lessons about how to work with a team and organize plans to effectively execute a goal. If elected, I will apply these skills to the tasks set before me in order to help our class representatives work together positively and collaboratively.
What do you think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should look like? How do you see yourself contributing to student leadership at SJHS?
An officer at Saint Joe should be responsible, outgoing, and open to new ideas. It is important that the leaders of our class are able to prioritize what is important and show responsibility and initiative. Officers should also be outgoing and communicative with the members of their class, as this will best enable them to address the issues facing the student body. Being accepting of and open to new ideas is another vital trait, as it allows an officer to consider a wide range of thoughts and perspectives, granting nuance to issues and allowing for positive discussion. As a class officer, I see myself contributing to the leadership of SJHS by bringing these qualities to the table. I will always act with responsibility and initiative in mind, and I will work to reach out to my fellow students in order to address their concerns. Finally, I will always remain open to ideas and perspectives other than my own, allowing me to develop an atmosphere of support and acceptance.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing the students at our school today? How will you help the student face these challenges?
One of the biggest challenges facing students at our school today is frustration with the administration and faculty. Often, students struggle to accept or understand some of the policies implemented at Saint Joe, leading to irritation at the administrations’ attempt to enforce certain rules and expectations. Through my time at Saint Joe, I have found that much of this frustration and anger arises from students feeling undervalued and unheard by the leaders of our school; many times, students will complain about rules and policies because they fail to address the real concerns of the student body. Students feel that the priorities of the administration and faculty are misaligned with their own values. As Senior Class Vice President, I will work to bridge that gap between student and administrator. I will collaborate with my fellow students to determine which policies we feel need attention or revision, and I will present these grievances to our school leadership. I will be an advocate for our class, prioritizing the needs of students and ensuring that those needs are at the foundation of our school policies.
SECRETARIAL CANDIDATES
Alex Deitering
Why do you wish to be an elected member of Student Government?
I wish to be elected for student Government because I’ve seen lots of things that need change in this school. I know that if I were to be elected I would have a say and actually be able to act on these changes rather than just having to deal with all of them. I’d also say that I know people from almost every sort of friend group in Saint Joe, friends from Sports and athletes to Artists and academically focused people. This leads me to being able to understand all different sides of saint joe and hear views from different types of people. Seeing through the eyes of all sorts of people I’m sure would help me to be able to more accurately help Saint Joe as a whole, targeting not just one group’s needs but everyones.
What do you think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should look like? How do you see yourself contributing to student leadership at SJHS?
I believe that as an officer in Saint Joe’s student government one should try their best to help focus on the needs of others and making the standard greater for everyone. By listening to other students and taking that into meetings to help try and stand for other people. Secretary, being responsible for setting up meetings and keeping it organized I think is extremely important to all this, given that it helps provide the opportunity to bring up these problems.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing the students at our school today? How will you help the student face these challenges?
I believe the biggest problems facing our student body is communication and transparency between staff and students. Too often I see students being left not knowing what’s going on or why things happened and staff just not explaining. Students need to be allowed to be in the know. Other problems include very poorly run events, where if properly set up and targeted towards the actual student wants and not just the teachers setting them up, could make these much more engaging. Along with all of these my abilities in time management and planning are really strong because of my outside experience in taking photos, both of these would extremely help run a secretary role in student government far more effectively for the senior class.
Grace Shaul
Why do you wish to be an elected member of Student Government?
I want to be the Senior Class Secretary. I want to be secretary so I can help make St. Joe a better place. As the class secretary I will help lead the student council meetings, help represent Saint Joe, and help with all of the senior activities to make it a great last year. I want to be a voice for the senior class and make sure everyone feels included.
What do you think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should look like? How do you see yourself contributing to student leadership at SJHS?
I would be an asset to the Senior Class of Student Government because I am a responsible, reliable, and hard working person. I would be a good choice for the Secretary because I will be there to listen to what students have to say, and make sure that their voices are heard. I have been on Student Government my freshmen, sophomore, and junior years and I hope to continue to help Saint Joe in this position. These qualities can be seen through some of the other leadership roles that I have had including the Together for the Long Run Student Committee. This year I helped organize and plan the Together for the Long Run track event. I raised money, helped find sponsors, and made sure the night was fun for everyone.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing the students at our school today? How will you help the student face these challenges?
I believe one of the challenges that students at St. Joe face is making sure their voices are heard. As a member of the Student Government I want to make sure we are making decisions that the rest of the student body will appreciate. Some solutions for this challenge could be setting up times when students can come talk to some of the members of Student Government to share their ideas. We could also set up a suggestion box for students to put their suggestions in.
