As a man of his word, Class President Jaime Martinez has outdone himself yet again by upholding the promises that he made during his campaign in an attempt to increase student involvement in school activities and initiatives.

This year, as part of the Good Vibes plan, Martinez has relaunched a discount program that began last year, allowing high school students, faculty, and staff at North Allegheny to take advantage of reduced prices at several businesses around the area. Currently, the discount plan includes CoreLife Eatery, The Oven Pizza Co. Wexford, Ichiban Steakhouse Wexford, YUM Frozen Yogurt, Blaze Pizza, Bruster’s Ice Cream, Smoothie King, DiBella’s Subs, IHOP, and Laser Storm Laser Tag. 

The Uproar sat down with Martinez to learn more.

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How did you come up with the discount plan? 

2018-19 Senior Class President Michael Mitole worked to produce some student discounts over the course of the last school year, and the discounts were a great success. This year, I knew it was incredibly important to continue these discounts for the benefit of students and beyond; I wanted to focus on streamlining the discounts, adding many more businesses, and expanding the benefits to the entire high school population. Moreover, I made big promises when I ran for Class President, and working to enhance and formalize this program is one of the big results that I wished to achieve for the amazing class that elected me.

Aside from being able to enjoy discounts at some of our favorite places, what do you want students to take away from this initiative? 

North Allegheny is an integral part of the community; from students going out and doing service hours, to the sheer size and by extension, collective economic power we have within the community, our footprint on the community is huge. Many of the businesses offering discounts to NA are local businesses that actively seek to form deep roots within this community; these discounts allow NA students, faculty, and staff to more easily sow connections with and uplift local businesses. Making these connections is incredibly important and helps to enliven the social fabric of the community.

What steps did you have to take in order to put this plan into action? 

Everything started early, with long days going to select businesses and introducing myself and the vision. If businesses were on board, we would brainstorm and negotiate discounts while keeping lines of communication open; in certain instances, we would reach out to select students and float discount ideas by them. I’d like to thank all the businesses that spoke with me for their hospitality, respect, and cooperation in getting the discount program back off the ground, along with Dr. Kreider and the Senior Class advisors for their support.

Do you think this project will encourage younger students to plan more events to involve the student body? 

I definitely think so. With the expansion of including underclassmen in the discounts, we have been in touch with student leaders at NAI to get the word out. I am sure many of the bright and talented students will see what we are doing and work to emulate, create, and inspire others to do the same. I’m excited to see how they will improve upon the Good Vibes program long after we’re gone.

What made you want to expand these benefits to all high school students at North Allegheny rather than just those at NASH?

The Senior Class has a unique perspective in that they’re the only relatively young demographic that has gone through everything all other students have gone through; we are officially “the big guys on the block.” I believe this also comes with the responsibility of providing a mentoring role to underclassmen; I remember developing many close ties to seniors last year, and a lot of the stories they told me I have kept with me and have helped me grow as a person. My question was, “Why can’t we do that with NAI students as well?” Imagine the good that can come through stronger ties: the lessons passed on, the advice given, the mistakes that could be averted! Although this is just a benefit extended to them, I hope this is the first of many initiatives over the next few years that solidifies the ties between underclassmen and upperclassmen and works to unite us. On a side note, I’m happy to say all faculty and staff at the high school level are now eligible for the discount program; they work hard for us and this is just one small way to express our appreciation.

In addition to the discount program, do you have any more exciting projects planned for the year? 

I do! We are laying the groundwork for this year’s Celebrate the Seniors event, and are setting the stage for a few more events I can’t talk about yet! In addition, Prom, Senior Banquet, and other traditional senior activities are being organized.

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Starting the year off with the aforementioned discount plan is a testament to how eager the senior class officers are this year. Not only are they looking forward to upholding their promises, but also to setting a standard for younger classes to follow,

For more details on these discounts as well as information about upcoming events planned by the NA Senior Class, follow @naseniorclass on Instagram and Twitter or visit their website.