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Arthur Paleologos ’17 and Madison Pettaway ’17 Elected Student Body Co-Presidents

After months of planning and campaigning, Madison Pettaway ’17 and Arthur Paleologos ’17 have been elected as Student Body Co-Presidents for the 2016-2017 academic year. The polls opened on Thursday at 7 a.m. and closed at 9:30 p.m. Over 900 students voted.

According to their platform, the pair looks to establish a more involved Student Council by sending surveys to the student body and creating spaces where community members can discuss their ideas with Student Council members. They will also take a “community-based approach to health and wellness,” hoping to transform Wellness Week and construct a Peer Health Educator program to encourage students to help each other. In addition, they plan to better integrate all new students and day students into the Andover community through mentorship programs.

In the debate this past Wednesday during All-School Meeting, Annette Bell ’16 and Theo Perez ’16, the 2015-16 Student Body Co-Presidents, posed questions to the two candidate pairs regarding both pairs’ platforms and ideas. Pettaway and Paleologos conveyed their intentions to combat a culture of toxic competition surrounding academics and the college process, as well as nearly every other aspect of student life. Their plan was created with a special awareness of the stress and competition that exists at Andover, which Pettaway and Paleologos hope to eliminate by creating a strong support system for students.

The duo garners confidence from its qualifications and background in student leadership; Pettaway is a prefect in Isham as well as a board member of several clubs on campus, and Paleologos has three years of experience on Student Council. In the debate, they emphasized that their qualities, qualifications, and vision will allow them to develop into the strongest leaders they can be next school year.