If the plentiful posters in the hallways were not already a dead giveaway that the Senior Class Council election is fast approaching, surely the scene in the TV Studio and the adjoining newsroom was.

Last Wednesday, the candidates for the 2019-2020 Senior Class Officer positions met in the NATV studio after school to film their official candidate speeches, which will be broadcast to classrooms on the morning announcements on Monday.  Voting commences on Monday and ends at 10:00am on Friday.

Senior Class Council is in charge of planning two very important events for seniors at the end of the year: Prom and the Senior Banquet. Throughout the school year, the elected candidates will meet to coordinate a heavy load of details that go into making the events among the most memorable of the year.

Nerves filled the newsroom next door to the TV Studio, as the 16 candidates patiently waited their turn to deliver their speeches to the cameras.  After spending many hours perfecting and memorizing their words, it was finally time for the big moment of the recording.

While rehearsing her speech one final time, Emerson Schoedel, senior Vice-President candidate, said, “I’m very nervous. If I win, I want to make this year enjoyable for everybody. I’ve been having a hard time so far this year and I don’t want anyone to feel that way.” 

Meghan Hendricks, senior Vice-President candidate, did not expect the video recording to be stressful, but then her name was about to be called.   “I wasn’t nervous until now,” she said. “But now that I have been sitting in this room preparing, I am starting to get nervous.”

During the recording session, Mrs. Perry, in her 11th year as Senior Class Sponsor, showed all the calmness to be expected of a veteran.  During her tenure, Perry has seen hundred of candidates come and go.  “An ideal candidate would be someone who is ambitious and not just follow the standard obligations of the officer but go above and beyond,”  she said.

However, for her co-sponsor Mr. Solenday, in his first year in the role, the event was all new.

“I’ve chaperoned the Senior Prom and Senior Banquet for a number of years,” Solenday said.  “”I have always appreciated the high quality of both events, and I’m looking forward to helping to plan both.”

The candidates were tasked with a challenging assignment to be completed in between busy academic schedules, extra-curriculars, and, of course college applications.   They had prepare an informative, inspiring, and perhaps clever speech to capture the attention of the voting senior class.

Sami Ky, senior candidate for treasurer, aimed for a speech that conveyed her enthusiasm for the position. “I’m really excited to work with Mrs. Perry because she’s a great sponsor,” she said. “I really hope we can make a difference in the senior class.” 

Tensions in the newsroom died down as candidates finished their speeches and filtered into the hallway. 

“I really liked my speech,” said Somya Thakur, senior candidate for Secretary. “I wanted to make sure it was casual, and it included things that were important to students.”

For Jaime Martinez, candidate for President, the focus was both personal and practical.  “I feel great about my speech,” he said. “It was a great opportunity for people to learn more about me and to learn what I stand for. I look forward to bringing new initiatives and new ideas that will make our senior year the best year of our lives.”

Sari Abu-Hammad, another candidate for President, had a shorter reflection on his speech, which the student TV crew was able to record the most quickly.

“First try, baby,” Abu-Hamad said.