By Aisha Mohanty, Staff Writer
// As the current Associated Student Body (ASB) representatives hang their hats, several ambitious and spirited individuals take the reins as the student leaders of Acalanes High School.
Every year, students elect a new group of ASB officers who supervise Leadership, plan events, and communicate between administration and students. The candidates compete for the designated positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. To participate in ASB, students must have previous experience in Acalanes Leadership.
This year, since the candidates could not campaign traditionally by filling the halls with decorative posters, Leadership organized an alternate form of advertisement. Starting on April 12, candidates used social media to broadcast their campaigns and creative slogans. To prevent inequity, Leadership teacher Katherine Walton restricted public endorsement from other students.
After the designated campaigning period, Walton sent out a Google Form to every student via School Loop where the elections took place between April 15 to April 17.
Meet the new ASB representatives:
ASB President: Luke Watson
Luke Watson has been a positive outlet for Leadership since he stepped into the position of the current Junior Class Secretary. As ASB President, Watson will be in charge of organizing formal meetings to address school issues and administrating Leadership as a whole.
Because Watson ran unopposed, Leadership guaranteed him this position before the elections began. Nevertheless, Watson explained to the Acalanes student body why he is best suited for the position.
“I have had a lot of experience as a leader in the past including being a club president, Boy Scout, and swim coach. I also think that I am very spirited, hardworking, dedicated, and inclusive,” Watson said.
He centered his campaign on “Star Wars”, drawing connections between Luke Skywalker’s uplifting character and Watson’s ability to provide “A New Hope” for his peers. In addition to this sense of hope, Watson intends to bring more school spirit to Acalanes.
“My main goals are to keep the Leadership program running strong and doing everything we can to support the students at Acalanes. I want to be successful in helping our school become more engaged and enthusiastic along with growing unity and spirit,” Watson said.
ASB Vice President: Ellie Palma
Two-year Leadership veteran and next year’s ASB Vice President Ellie Palma will be in charge of overseeing clubs and committees on campus.
To emphasize that her focus is on shaping the future of Acalanes, Palma made a pun out of her name by calling herself a “Palma” reader; her campaign slogan read, “I see Ellie in your future”.
As the new ASB Vice President, Palma wants Acalanes to remember her for creating an open environment on campus where everyone is welcome to express their own opinions.
“I want people to remember me as approachable and easy to talk to. I want people to know that they can always come to me with questions or ideas on how to make our school better,” Palma said.
As Palma approaches the end of her high school career, she hopes to establish a clear sense of community and plans to use her time to make an impact on the younger classes.
“I want to make everyone feel like they belong on campus by creating opportunities for people to experience all that high school has to offer,” Palma said.
ASB Secretary: Franny Daughters
As the future ASB Secretary, sophomore Franny Daughters must record meeting minutes and maintain organization within Leadership.
Despite only having one year of experience in Leadership and being the youngest ASB member, Daughters is prepared to take on a more innovative role in the program.
“By being in ASB, I have the opportunity to continue planning fun events and create new ones,” Daughters said.
Through her vision for the upcoming school year and her catchy campaign slogan, Daughters showcased her passion for improving Acalanes. Although each ASB officer aspires to lift school spirit in some way, Daughters is especially excited to contribute to a greater climate of inclusivity at Acalanes.
“My slogan is ‘Hop on the Fran Van’. My nickname is Fran and the van part is a Volkswagen hippie van, so my campaign is hippie themed,” Daughters said. “Unity, kindness, and acceptance are all things I plan on carrying into next year, and a hippie theme captures that perfectly.”
ASB Treasurer: Xavier Wesley
With two years of experience as Acalanes Spirit Board Treasurer, Xavier Wesley will take on the role of ASB Treasurer, which includes reimbursing and budgeting Leadership funds.
Wesley’s campaign slogan, “X Marks the Spot”, relates his nickname, X, with where to find the treasure on a treasure map.
Wesley plans to pursue a career in business; his passion for the subject inspired him to run for Treasurer.
“I was running for this position because I am planning to go into the business field in college, and I just love working with money. I plan on getting my [master’s] and my bachelor’s somewhere in business or marketing,” Wesley said.
Wesley presents many strategies and goals to better allocate funds for Leadership and student clubs.
“My main goal is to keep the checks flowing. I want to use that money to divide it equally among areas in need on campus,” Wesley said.
