The following students are running for the Vice President of the Senior Class: Evan Wienecke and Jade Safeukui-Noubissi. These students are seeking the role of Senior Class Secretary: Lauren Borger, Keaton Smith, Aiden Dowdle, and Mylia Vigue.

Evan Wienecke

1. Why do you want to be an officer or representative of your class?*

I want to be an officer for the Senior Class to help make the last year at Saint Joe a good one for all of us in the Class of 2023. I have learned so much in my years on Student Council about how to support my fellow students not only academically, but also emotionally and mentally. A Student Council officer is not only important to the students but to the teachers as well. We are all high schoolers and do dumb things, me included. I think that everything that I have ever done wrong or bad, I have learned from and made myself a better person from. Student Council members are leaders that help bring the problems to the administration on behalf of all of our fellow students. I think that I am a great leader and will be able to fulfill the important task of being the Senior Class Vice President.

2. What do you think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should look like? How do you see yourself contributing to this leadership team?*

I think that being an officer at Saint Joe is one of the most important things a student can do. Being an officer is not just a title to put on your college application. A Student Council officer should be a leader, should be close with teachers, should be known by people in their class, should represent Saint Joe values, and should be able to talk and include all people. A Student Council officer should go to all meetings, should go out of their way to make the school a better place for all, should strive to always be better in what they do and especially at talking to their peers about changes they want to see made. I have always been very outgoing and a natural leader. I am always talking to people, which is good and bad at times. To be an officer I need to be able to talk to others, so it is a good thing. Before I came to Saint Joe, I went to Discovery Middle School which was bigger than Saint Joe is. I was a Student Ambassador and a leader there as well, not only showing people around the school but talking to the administration constantly about changes being made and how to improve the school. This shows that I can represent a class with over 200 students in it and do it well with my experience.

3. 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 think that the biggest problem that students have to deal with is mental health. Whether its from school and homework to extra-curriculars or the stress of preparing for college. I think that it is very important to understand, know, and help everyone with the challenges that they face whether it is at school or outside. I think that it is even more important to check up on people and make sure they are doing okay periodically. I think that implementing more frequent check ups with counselors as well as with teachers would be a great step in helping take some stress off of students. Another step would be to train students (starting with student council members) to help deal with mental health issues and help others. I think that if we were to do this during the next school year and at least get it started, it would make a big difference in helping make students school years’ easier.

Jade Safeukui-Noubissi

1. Why do you want to be an officer or representative of your class?*

I’ve actually wanted to run for officer since I was a freshman but I had a hard time getting out of my shell. Sophomore year was really hectic with Covid and again was just too uncomfortable for me to run. The main reason I would like to run for office is to get out of my comfort zone and take on a leadership role that I can give the dedication my class deserves. In my three years at St. Joe, I’ve grown as a person, academically and in my faith. Recently, I’ve made the decision to be a leader and not hide behind the scenes. I believe I have the attitude and mannerism to be a responsible, good, and fair leader to my fellow students.

2. What do you think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should look like? How do you see yourself contributing to this leadership team?*

I believe the main role of Senior Class Vice President is representation. What I mean by this is, the voices of the students who are scared to speak up should be heard. This person should be approachable, open , and positive above all else. I want to be that representation for students that feel like their voices aren’t being heard. How I see myself contributing to this is I see myself as a friendly and open person that anyone can come up to and talk to. I can bring a different perspective to the table on issues that aren’t discussed as much. I know that I can contribute a different perspective and bring more to the table.

3. What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing the students at our school today? How will you help the student face these challenges?*

The biggest challenge that faces our school today is lack of representation. Many students feel like they can’t speak out on certain topics and issues. I believe that activities like a culture day organized by the students for example, will provide representation for students that want to showcase part of themselves. Yes, there are many other challenges and I’m not saying this is the biggest challenge but all parts of the student body should feel heard.

Secretary Candidates

Lauren Borger

*NOTE: No image or responses were provided to the Square.

Keaton Smith

1. Why do you want to be an officer or representative of your class?*

There is an invisible barrier within our school. It is something that affects every person in every grade. Whether it be students, staff, or faculty we all are affected. It is a barrier of disunion maintained by poor communication a nd closed door policies. We cannot expect proper representation from a system that fails us by promoting selfish behavior for achieving a position to further one’s college application. A proper system would represent the student body of our school. We cannot expect an election based on popularity to bear the fruits of union and communication. We are not passive beings, we are beings who desire to be heard and represented. I simply wish to mend the flaws within our current system so that the other students may be heard.

2. What do you think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should look like? How do you see yourself contributing to this leadership team?*

The current student government is capable of being much more. Ideally the system would be based on elected officials who were chosen for their integrity and character. However, when we are obsessed with our own ego we fail other responsibilities in doing so. When someone takes leadership they must serve their classmates, rather than serving their own image. It is the student government’s job to ensure that it truly represents the students’ needs and desires. I will reverse this trend within our elections as being a candidate who promises to deliver on making their classmates’s voices heard.

3. What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing the students at our school today? How will you help the student face these challenges?*

    There are many challenges that every student faces within our school, but the largest one is the lack of representation. When someone is not represented they are quickly surrounded by loneliness and begin to develop a distaste towards the student government and the school itself. This is a complex challenge that cannot be solved by one person, but rather our community as a whole. We must come to a consensus that the student council is about representing the entire student body, rather than the voices of a few. If I were elected I’d spend a large amount of time simply sitting down and talking to our fellow classmates, so that their voices may be heard. We cannot represent our classmates if we do not know how they feel. 

     Representation is further diminished by the lack of proper communication within the student government. Poor communication between grade levels and others within the student council adds delay and inaccuracy to decisions. As secretary I will do the work of facilitating discussions and communications across grade levels and other members. I would ensure the creation of a messaging system that will ensure that everyone is on the same page to increase the speed and accuracy of the student government.

Aiden Dowdle

1. Why do you want to be an officer or representative of your class?*

I would like to be an officer of my class so I can have a say in what is happening at Saint Joe. I am able to act upon the wants and needs of my fellow students because I am in good standing with students in the senior class.

2. What do you think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should look like? How do you see yourself contributing to this leadership team?*

I think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should be an example to other students but also be in tune to what the students want to make the environment at Saint Joe more enjoyable. I see myself contributing by being a link to all different groups of students we have at Saint Joe.

3. 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 think the biggest challenge grades wise is not using the Canvas calendar. To solve this problem I would take a poll to see if the Canvas calendar would be useful for a majority of the students. I then would make a petition to get the use of Canvas calendar brought back.I will help the students face these challenges by being a link between students and administrators.

Mylia Vigue

1. Why do you want to be an officer or representative of your class?*

After developing an affinity for Student Council and what it stands for as a club during my time as a representative I want to be an officer in order to continue to help serve the community. I had a lot of fun during my Junior year on student council and learned a lot of valuable lessons. I enjoyed speaking to my peers about issues they had and being able to participate in a space that allows a voice for the student body. I was able to strengthen my relationship with my peers and, in turn, my community during my time as a representative through communicating on issues as well as simply spending time with each other planning dances and other school activities. I want to be an officer in order to be able to continue building upon these experiences I have been granted the chance to have while also having more of a part in student council.

2. What do you think the role of an officer or representative at Saint Joe should look like? How do you see yourself contributing to this leadership team?*

I believe the role of Secretary encompasses the role of a representative by representing the needs of the Senior class and acting as a liaison between the grade and the school as a whole. However, I also believe the role of secretary is to be able to act as a liaison between the class council itself by providing resources and acting as the main method of communication to ensure efficiency and community. I think a class officer should be welcoming and equally representative of every member of their class. I see myself contributing to this team through my ability to communicate, my dedication to bettering myself and those around me, as well as offering a smile or a joke to those around me. A secretary should be able to effectively communicate and be attentive.

3. 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 challenge facing students at Saint Joe is the lack of unity within the community. I think being an adolescent in high school and growing up in such an ever-changing social environment makes it difficult to feel safe to be oneself let. I think Saint Joe is lacking in fostering an environment in which all students feel a part of a bigger body rather than feeling pitted against each other. I think this attitude can be fostered by offering my voice as an officer to express voices that would be overlooked. An easy solution is fostering a sense of school community through celebrating ALL student activities and interests rather than just football and basketball. Ultimately, the best way I will help my peers face this challenge is by offering the resources I have to provide and my influence on the council to ensure that people feel they are being heard and that they are included in this synonymous Saint Joe identity.