This year, Junior and Lower Representative candidates are participating in the first-ever two-round campaigning process. In previous years, Junior and Lower Rep elections have been only one round, making the speech-giving process a lengthy one. Faiyad Ahmad ’10, School President, said, “It’s tough to pay attention through 20 speeches. We decided to do two rounds to cut the number of candidates giving speeches to the full class. We’ll probably stick with five or six candidates for the final round.” Another new element of the election process is a required form from the candidates’ house counselors or day student advisors. “[The form] is an opportunity for campaigning students to discuss running for election and the work that goes into [Student Council] with an adult that knows a lot about the community. This way candidates will really understand what they’re getting into,” Ahmad said. The first step for candidates in the election process is to obtain 125 signatures from different students in their class. Classmates’ signatures are required so that students have the chance to learn the candidates’ motives and intentions for running. Mark Efinger, Lower Class Advisor and Instructor in Theatre and Dance, said “We [encourage] kids to ask candidates why they’re running,” “We want the signatures to become more important and not just a busywork rubber stamp. If this happens, underclass representative elections might become less about popularity and more about qualifications,” said Efinger. The first round voting will be based on a platform outlining each candidate’s ideas. Each platform will be posted on PAnet for students to view and vote from. The following week, remaining candidates will deliver speeches in the second round. Results from the second round will determine the two class representatives. Ahmad is responsible for organizing the entire election, reminding students to vote and answering questions about the process. Ahmad distributed campaigning guidelines for candidates to follow. Previous class representatives also have important roles, especially in keeping new candidates informed and prepared. During the All-Class Meetings two weeks ago, former Junior Class Representatives Kennedy Edmonds ’12 and Paul Noh ’12 addressed the responsibilities and activities of the Junior class representatives: attending Student Council meetings, organizing social tasks, hosting talent shows and coordinating special class trips. “Kennedy and Paul did a really terrific job as reps for the Junior class,” said Efinger. “The job becomes especially important as a class begins to take on its character. These two guys did a really great job communicating the legacy they’d like to leave [with the class],” Efinger added. The election results will be announced at some point in the following weeks, after the candidates have delivered their speeches, and the second round of voting has come to a close.
