The freshman class at South is finally getting ready to elect their student council officers—just a little later than usual this year. With delays coming in left and right, it was a challenge for everyone involved with the council to get these elections up and running.
This is freshman class Council Advisor Racheal Goulet’s first time overseeing a class making it a learning experience for both the freshman class and her.
“This year has been a bit of a learning curve for all of us, but I’m really impressed with how eager the students are to step up and make their voices heard,” Goulet said. “It’s exciting to see them come together and take ownership of their council.”
The decision to hold freshman elections later this year allowed Goulet and the students to settle in before choosing their leaders. Student Association Advisor Meg Pierce, who has been helping with the process, sees the delay as a smart action they took.
“Starting later actually gave them a chance to let leaders emerge naturally,” Pierce said. “Normally, meetings would begin as soon as school starts and by homecoming you can see which students are stepping up. This year, the extra time helped create a more structured and purposeful election process.”
As said, this past year’s homecoming was a big responsibility as the event takes lots of planning. Most freshmen don’t have older siblings in the school to show them the ropes. Goulet explained that the extra time to elect leadership has been helpful.
“These kids are resilient,” Goulet said. “They’re used to curveballs and their energy has been amazing.”
Right now, since they don’t have official leaders yet, meetings have just been big group discussions about things like fundraising ideas and future projects. Maddy Roeder ’28 has been attending class council meetings and said that the participation could use some improvement.
“I definitely feel like more people could join so that we have more ideas and things to build off of,” Roeder said.
With things finally in place, the freshmen should be voting for their officers next month.
“It’s been great for them to get this extra time,” Goulet said. “I can’t wait to see what they accomplish.”
