ALSO READ:

Meet the Candidates: Student Council President, 2023-24

Three students hope to be your Student Council Vice President next school year, 2023-24. Voting will be conducted through a Google Form that will be provided to you during history class on Tuesday, June 20, and June 21 for those of you who miss school on the 20th. The Form will only allow you to vote once, and only high school students, including seniors, are eligible to vote. Send questions to Mr. Weaver at [email protected].

All three candidates made a short video and were asked two questions by the Journalism Club. Below are their videos and answers to the questions, unedited, and listed in alphabetical order:

JASMIN BRAVO

What do you hope to accomplish as a Student Council leader next year?
What I hope to accomplish as a Student Council leader next year is to have students look back on the school year and think, “wow that was the best year yet!”. I would like to have this happen by organizing and planning well thought events that will be fun for the student body and for our hardworking teachers. However, that’s not the only thing I would like to accomplish, I would hope to have all highschool students be well informed about college and what their options look like and what to look for in a college. It’s great to have fun and live life as teens but I would love for students to be more educated so they are less fearful of the upcoming future which would be going away to a university or choosing a different option like trade school or the military.
What is the No. 1 issue facing Prep, and how will you address it if you win?

In my opinion I believe that the number one issue facing Prep is the lack of information being distributed. Most times the information is there but hidden discreetly or not being well said enough. Being uninformed or not well informed brings in a lot of worry and confusion and those feelings are something I want to eliminate. Some ways I would address this problem is by having important information posted on social media through the student council page on instagram because most times students don’t look through their google classroom and would often ask their friends or ask a teacher even though they just posted about it. This is something that I heard that Alison Ramos is also going to do during her election speech. Even if I don’t get elected I would love to still help make this happen by helping in whatever way I can. Another thing would be having some parts of SEL day dedicated to addressing the big elephant in the room which is college. I know as students we are too shy or afraid of going to speak to our counselors because we just don’t have that relationship with them compared to other students. Unfortunately this fear that is inside us prevents us from being educated well enough about our options for the future. SEL days are all about mental health for the students and I think talking about college and getting them more educated about different types of financial aid, grants, the “sticker price” vs the actual price would make it way more comfortable for students when they think of college and it will help them narrow down their decision and head them to the right direction which will help them go to a college or university that is more suitable for their needs.

ALISON RAMOS

What do you hope to accomplish as a Student Council leader next year?

As a Student Council leader, I am looking to focus on increasing school spirit and ensuring proper communication between students and staff. School spirit is really big for me because it’s what sets the environment for the school every time we walk in. If you don’t have school spirit amongst the students or the teachers, as humans, we will be able to pick up on that and feel the negative energy. I want school spirit to be passed down to the younger kids at Prep so that when they get older, they can share their school spirit. By increasing and perfecting means of communication, students will know more about events and clubs at their school and even the district. I want to utilize the well-organized student council social media page for this. Students will feel that sense of organization in their school and won’t feel so lost. We might be able to help quieter students find a club they enjoy by promoting clubs on our social media page. Small steps like these would make a difference.

What is the No. 1 issue facing Prep, and how will you address it if you win?

The number one issue facing Prep is the abundance of detentions our students are getting, with students being out of uniform being a subcategory of this. Students, especially teenagers, have a reason for everything. To address this issue, I want to get to the “why” with these students. Why are they not wearing their IDs? Why are they wearing sweatpants today? Why are they skipping class? A lot of times, issues can be solved if we just take the time to ask. Students caught without an ID simply may have forgotten to put it on, while having it in their backpack. Maybe a student lost their ID and is too shy to ask where to get another one. With the school year ending in less than a month, students find themselves with nothing to do and often want to go to their friend’s classes. Many teachers are fine with this if students ask, but some students don’t. This leads to issues with students cutting class and teachers being unaware of said student’s whereabouts. Communication between teachers and students would be beneficial for both parties. And with AP Tests going on about a month ago, students were allowed to be out of uniform. Some students weren’t sure if they could be out of uniform for finals, but with the implementation of good communication, we can ensure students aren’t out of uniform when they shouldn’t be and lower the number of detentions being given out daily.

KEVIN TEPALE

What do you hope to accomplish as a Student Council leader next year?

If I am to win vice president of Prep I will ensure that the students of prep come first in any criteria of the school. My focus is to fight tooth and nail for school activities , such as field day, field trips , SELs , talent shows and other major events that are demanded. I also hope to foresee the creation of preps school spirit! A more connected and patriotic spirit for us ravens!

What is the No. 1 issue facing Prep, and how will you address it if you win?

I see the number one issue currently in prep is the lack of confidence between the students and the student government. I feel that the students of prep share no real connection with members of student council or school leaders. I’ve seen many demands be kept quiet and never brought to light simply due to their lack of confidence with the student council and the leaders of prep.  With me as vice president that will not be an issue! The way I wish to address this issue is by talking, listening and understanding so me and my team can take action to better connect with the school. To demonstrate to all of prep that their voice is heard on any matter regardless of the circumstances!