Memes, and slogans, and campaigns, oh my! The 2018 NA Student Council Election is in full swing, and sophomores and juniors looking to lead the classes of 2019 and 2020 are gearing up for the closest competition in NA.

As many students have noticed, the race this year is especially heated, and the campaign flyers posted all over the school prove it. Twitter memes are particularly popular poster template; the Yodeling WalMart Boy and evil Patrick are common sights in the NASH hallways.

But is the campaign trend of pop culture references really all fun and games? This year’s election has attracted some controversy following confusion over what exactly can go on the school’s wall. According to school policy, any and all flyers posted on the walls must be approved and signed by NASH Principal Dr. Kreider. However, teachers last week began to notice campaign flyers without signatures.

According to Assistant Principal Mr. McGahee, “Any signs or posters in the building that get posted need principal approval. The issue last week was a number of students posted signs without approval…I believe there were a few posters that were deemed inappropriate for a public school setting, and not approved.”

This, coupled with the dark humor on a few of the posters, caused a mass removal of prohibited material. Edgier memes weren’t the only issues with some campaigns. According to a few student council members, certain candidates were caught changing their posters after getting approval, bypassing the policy in place. With so many flyers on the walls and the inability to monitor each one’s design, there is no guarantee what is posted has been adequately approved.

When these violations were brought to the attention of the administration, Mr. McGahee investigated the extent of the unauthorized flyer situation. Upon further examination, the Assistant Principal found that not only had Student Council candidates posted unapproved flyers but private companies had put up advertisements and recruitment material on the walls after the school day had ended. He also found flyers dating back several years that had been left up.

“This building exists to benefit every student who attends school here, not local businesses or organizations that are hoping for free advertisement space,” McGahee remarked. If a local business or organization feels they have a poster worth posting in the building, it should be approved by the school before being posted. We would be happy to approve a poster for an outside organization if we deemed it beneficial to our student body.”

Regardless of the controversy surrounding the Student Council campaign, it is clear that the current process by which student organizations publicize their activities is currently flawed. Nevertheless, the entire school is feverishly watching the outcome of this election. The voting begins on Monday and runs through Thursday. To vote, visit the NASH homepage and follow the link.