The following juniors are running for student class representative: Marley Annis, Lizzy Kloska, Murphy Wiginton, Lee Erdman, Colin Blumentritt, Sam Norwood, Tom Farrell, Patrick Zwiller, Anna Hill, Hetvi Patel, Terezur Leonard, and Jack Helm.

Marley Annis

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

I want to be a class representative for Saint Joseph High School because I want to support the needs and wants of my classmates throughout their high school experience. I am a very organized person that sees the positive in every situation that is brought upon me. With these characteristics, I feel that I can lead my fellow classmates into a more open and positive community. To add,  I have strong leadership skills. For example, I am the captain of my national volleyball team and I take initiative on the court. I use these strategies during class by asking questions, helping others, and being constantly engaged. I am extremely motivated and dedicated, which drives me towards perfection. Even though that isn’t possible, I can guide myself and my fellow classmates towards a healthy and happy environment. 

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?*

As an officer or representative, one should always have an open and motivated mind. Having a growth mindset opens up the posibilites for further advancement in higher education and healthy relationships. Keeping a motivated mindset develops intriguing and exceptional performance in all that one can do. I see myself contributing to this leadership team by listening to my classmates and advocating for their wants and needs. By being part of this team, I plan to keep myself open and available to all students ideas, concerns and expectations.

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?*

In the Saint Joseph High School community, one of the biggest challenges I believe our students face today is having the sense of belonging. Because our high school is Catholic, we have a diverse range of students who are Catholic, non-Catholic, non-Christian, etc. With this diversity comes many different personal views. These views are often judged and dictated because people will not keep a growth mindset. Partaking as a representative in student government, I will continuously keep an open mindset and fight for everyone’s voice to be heard that way our students can have a sense of belonging in our community.

Lizzy Kloska 

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

I want to be a representative of the Junior class because I want to be able to make a difference. I have strong ideas and ways to help improve the Saint Joe community. In my experience, the Saint Joe community is one of the parts that needs improvements, especially by including everyone and making all students feel at home. I am also open to listening to other people’s ideas or what they would like me to bring to the table at student council meetings. I want my class to enjoy being at Saint Joe and feel like they have a voice by being able to come to me in order to share their ideas.

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 imagine the role of a representative at Saint Joe should be smart, approachable, and creative. I see myself contributing to this leadership team because I put a lot of time into keeping my grades up, and trying my best to be smart and learn at school. Additionally, I am always mindful of how people would view me, and I try to be seen as someone you would feel comfortable talking to or asking a favor of. Lastly, I have loads of new and exciting ideas to share with the Student Council team that I feel would definitely benefit Saint Joe’s community. Therefore, I see myself as having these three qualities that are perfect for having the role of a representative 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 believe that the biggest challenges are the community at Saint Joe and staying motivated. The community at Saint Joe is more of a competition against each other, instead of forming friendships with each other. I would help students with this challenge by keeping an eye out for anyone who isn’t feeling very welcomed and showing them what I think a Saint Joe Indian should be all about, friendship and kindness. The other challenge is staying motivated to work hard inside and outside of school. I would make a difference in this struggle by making signs of encouragement or going out of my way to compliment people to inspire them to work hard.

Lee Erdman

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

As a Student Council Representative, I feel that I can effectively connect with members of my class and communicate their thoughts and concerns to the officers. In other words, I believe that I can help ensure that all students, whether they are members of student government or not, have an influence and impact on the conversations and decisions that occur at student council meetings.

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 primary role of a Representative is to reach out to classmates for suggestions and then voice these ideas at student government meetings. In other words, a representative’s duty is to make all voices heard, not just the elected voices. In order to fulfill this duty, I think a Saint Joe Representative should be a well-rounded individual, who applies effort not only to academics but also to athletics and extracurriculars. Involvement in a wide variety of activities allows one to have a wider student reach which sharpens the focus on the concerns of all members of the class, not merely on those who happen to share one of  seven classes. I envision myself contributing to this leadership team by voicing concerns of students at meetings, informing the officers of the wishes or ideas of students who are not a part of student government, and by being a thoughtful listener to any student who needs someone with whom to talk.

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 facing the students at our school today, but more specifically the class of 2024, is a lack of unity, resulting from Covid-19 precautions. The class of 2024 had a very unusual freshman year – with masks, virtual learning, and a hybrid mode. Unfortunately for us, freshman year is essential for making new connections and getting to know classmates. Thankfully, this second year was significantly better and another step closer to normalcy, so many of these negative effects have been reversed. However, I think that there is still room for improvement. I will help students face the lingering sense of isolation and disconnectedness by helping with the organization of more school assemblies and all-school events, which will unite our school with fun and engaging activities.

Colin Blumentritt 

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

I want to be a representative because I am good at making plans, lists, and schedules for upcoming events and ect, that involve time. I also think that if given the opportunity I would be able to represent my class well. 

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 plan to work with the other members of the class council and will contribute my thoughts and opinions, while also working to represent my own thoughts and opinions and those of my classmates. 

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 challenges is that we are facing is that there are people that do not feel included in our school. There are the people that are on financial need, there are the super rich people and then there’s the people that are the just the average student. I feel like it makes a big barrier between them. I think it’s hard for some people that are not Catholic or Christian that they feel forced to learn our faith. Yes, I understand the fact of being an evangelist is super important to the school, but if there are people that come from a Buddhist, Hindu or any other religion besides catholicism they should not have to pay extra to come to saint joseph high school. If our high school is all about inclusion they should not have to pay more because of what they believe in and I do believe that they should be aware of the Christianity but not forced.I am a Catholic myself but I feel like other peoples voices need to be heard and not suppressed by people with different views.

So overall main problem is people not getting heard and I will help them get heard even without them having to be noticed so there is not any judgment.

     The way I would solve this problem is to let people know that they won’t be judged for who they are and what they come from. They can say their thought without anyone judging or having a bad thought about them. The way I would do this is to have the representatives gather some people in the hall way and express their thoughts without any recording or anything just a pole with an anonymous name about any topic. It could be about the simplest things like Adidas versus Nike, all the way to talking about division of religion that the school can cause by not being open minded of others opinions.

Tom Farrell

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

I want to be a representative of my class because I have never had a big role in what my class has done and I wish to change that. I want to be more involved in the student body than I already am, and the best way for me to do that currently is get involved with the student council. I also feel like I share like minded ideas with the student body that I wish to bring forward and hopefully implement into the school.

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 role of a representative should look like someone who shares in the main ideas of the student body of their class and is active in fighting to get the feelings and needs of the students into action. I see myself contributing to this leadership team by doing just that, talking to the students to see what they really need to change to be able to grow how they are meant to be.

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?*

What I believe to be the biggest challenges to our students these days is the minorities of the School, Like non-Catholics and the LGBTQ+ community. The challenges I’ve personally talked to them about are people of the Catholic community not being accepting or outright outcasting, because they are different or not part of their religion, even though they believe in a religion that accepts everyone. I will help these students by being the force that brings these issues to the administration and be persistent with bringing problems that need to be fixed and not stopping until they are. 

Sam Norwood 

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

I would like to be a Representative of my class so I can improve the conditions and solve the problems that the Student Body is faced with. I would love to have the privilege to lead the change and help my peers in their endeavors. I believe that because I participate in a large range of the school’s activities, I have a personal knowledge of what can be improved to make Saint Joseph High School a better place. Moreover, I would like to be an officer or a representative of my class so that I might be able to be in a position to help meet the expectations of the Student Body on event planning, school policy, and day to day life. All in all, I would truly enjoy being a member of my class council so that I might help my fellow classmates in any way I can.

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 role of an Represenative at Saint Joe should look like the following: a role in which one helps the community, their peers, and their school grow and develop into their best possible selves. The role of an officer or representative should be centered around the students and their needs and how those needs can be achieved. This role at Saint Joe should revolve around helping others and being the collective, unified voice of the Student Body. This role at its core should be mediating between the administration of the school and students of the school. I can see myself contributing to this leadership team in the way that I can bring multiple different perspectives to the table; thus, allowing for multiple different inputs to exist within discussions. Additionally, I believe that I can contribute in the way that I am willing to put in as much time as necessary to solve any problem – no matter how big or small.

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 challenges facing the students at Saint Joe today are as follows: administrative disconnect and a lack of school spirit. Administrative disconnect is one of the biggest challenges facing the students at our school today in the way that students may not agree with administrative rulings, and administrators may not understand the full impact of policy changes without communication. A lack of communication and no resolution between either party causes tension. I will help the students face these challenges by expressing the students’ dislike of current policies or new policies to the administration, and work with both parties until a compromise is reached. Another challenge that faces the students at our school today is a lack of school spirit; due to the Covid-19 pandemic many students came in online and the traditions of Saint Joe and the spirit that comes with it was never fully communicated. I will help students face this challenge by developing new practices to fully engage the student body in the activities of the school and develop a sense of pride. I will also speak to teachers and upperclassmen to see what traditions they remember from their years prior to Covid -19 and promote and reinstate them. 

Patrick Zwiller 

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

I want to be an officer or representative because I want to better my school. I would plan to make Saint Joe better in two ways. The first way would be to give my time to better the school to non-students. This would be to help at open house, or to give my all into helping teachers. The main way to better my school is to help students. I believe I can succeed at making student life better because I am in a wide variety of clubs. Knowing a large range of different social groups and the needs of those groups puts me in a position to help.

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 an officer or represenative should be in a wide variety of clubs so the person is not focused on one group of people in the school. However this person should not be in too many clubs so their time can be focused on being an officer and helping out students who may want to bring something to the student council. I think I would be a great officer candidate, because of the variety of clubs I am in, my drive to succeed, and my willingness to listen. I want to be the best person for this job if I am selected to show people their vote was not wasted. I am outgoing and I’m not afraid to put ideas on the table. However, I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong and let someone take over the job if they are better suited for it.

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 students biggest challenges are being unheard about homework and flex. I feel most students have become to depend on flex, and the schedule now has taken most of the schools flex away for teacher meetings. This different scheduling can be a large inconvenience to students, especially the ones with larger families which are most families here. To end school early or to not be matched up with schools around us, as students have siblings, and when the school schedule doesn’t meet even though some schools are in the same diocese we still don’t work together to match schedules even thought the Catholic faith supports large families.

Anna Hill

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

No one should feel unheard in their own school. I want to be a representative of my class to ensure that everybody in my class knows and feels like they have a voice. For example, if a classmate has an idea about a new club, I want them to come to me so I can help them start it. If there is an issue, I want people to be comfortable talking to me in order to make a positive change. I can make these changes and bring up problems by communicating with teachers, staff, and administration.

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?*

Officers and representatives at Saint Joe need to bring positivity to the school. High school can be a scary, overwhelming time. There can be a lot of negativity surrounding it. At the end of the day though, it is a time to learn and grow with your peers. Yet, this can only be accomplished if the leaders of our school smile, wave, and chat with other students about problems and ideas to better Saint Joe. I would love to contribute to this leadership team by doing these things.

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?*

When I first came to Saint Joe I was terrified to join sports and clubs. Therefore, I believe we need to make extracurriculars more known and welcoming to all students, not just new ones. I believe we have a good foundation, but as a student council we can work with the newsletter, the square, and the morning announcements to ensure everyone finds an activity for them. Additionally, I think a lot of our students are stressed with the demands of high school. Again, using the newsletter, the square, and the morning announcements, we can make student mental health more talked about and provide solutions to make students happier and more relaxed while fulfilling demands.

Hetvi Patel

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

I want to be a representative because I want to be able to take an active role in the governing body of St. 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. I want to be able to influence important decisions that affect the social and emotional wellbeing of the student body and facilitate growth within the community. I am committed to continuing to serve as a liaison for my classmates to make their experiences as welcoming and advantageous as possible. I want an outlet for my skills in communication, problem solving, and leadership to be put to use for the prosperity of the students at St. Joe.

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 a representative at Saint Joe should be to exemplify the qualities of leadership to produce change. This means serving as a charismatic and approachable model for my classmates to depend on along with presenting the various perspectives that they have to offer and ensuring that their voices are heard. I see myself contributing to this leadership as someone who uses the views of others to influence important decisions of the school and ensures that the administration of Saint Joe receives and understands the input of students. My goal would be to facilitate communication between the administration and the student body in order to best serve the school community as a whole.

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 challenges the students at our school face stem from the absence of communication between students and the administration. This issue presents itself by making students feel that their needs are not met or respected, which results in a lack of community within the school. This can be seen in the way that students frequently feel overwhelmed by their workloads and schedules and do not believe that their administration is working in their best interest. Saint Joe is supposed to exemplify a community where students feel a sense of family and are excited to come to school every day to be a part of that, but this ideal cannot be achieved unless the perspectives of students are taken into consideration when making decisions regarding the school. As a representative, I would like to provide a tie between students and the administration to serve the unity by building unity within it and presenting their input through student council.

Jack Helm

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

I would like to be an officer or representative of my class because I would like to invoke change in my St. Joseph community. I would like to get more Saint Joe students involved in the community. As of now, I feel like there are two main groups of people at Saint Joe: those that are highly active and involved in the Saint Joe community, and those that just go home after the school day ends. I would like to work hard to get more and more of these students involved. If we can get these people to join a sport, club, or activity, then the Saint Joe community can become more inclusive, diverse, and welcoming, drawing everybody in and helping Saint Joe become an even better place.

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 feel like a representative at Saint Joe should be a leader and role model for all other students at Saint Joe. I feel that they should be outgoing and kind. I think that other students should be able to look at a representative of Saint Joe and see a leader they can look up to. I will contribute to the leadership team at Saint Joe by being positive and outgoing to all of those that I see. I will talk to all of those that I already know and will branch out to meet those that I haven’t met yet.

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 challenges facing the students at our school today are time-management and lack of sleep. I feel that these two correlate directly, and they can be solved with a simple, easy solution. Flex is given to students every other day, but it is often taken away with delayed starts and/or mass. Time for mass and prayer services are important and they are worth giving up flex time for. However, with all of the delayed starts and meetings that took place, it felt like us students had only one flex every one or two weeks. I understand that the faculty meetings are important, but if there was a way we could save flex time it would give students a big chunk of time to get their work done and improve both their time-management skills and their lack of sleep.