Five students hope to be your Student Council Vice President next school year, 2024-25. Voting will be conducted IN PERSON during history classes on Monday, June 17. Only high school students, including seniors, are eligible to vote. Send questions or comments to Mr. Figueroa at [email protected] or Mr. Weaver at [email protected].

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

CHASTITY CLAUDIO MILLER

• What qualities make you stand out among the candidates?

Amongst the other candidates running for the Vice President position, I am the only candidate who has the experience of working with the already chosen vice president from this year and the President from this year. I have observed their decisions and actions throughout this school year, and they have taught me much about being capable of these positions. Not only that, but I have been very involved in our school community. I participate in the school musicals and plays, I work within the school marching band, I take whatever opportunity I can to show that I am a dedicated and organized student. I try to always be understanding and I aim for a personal goal of knowing everyone in the school.

• If elected, what is the primary concern at Prep that you hope to address?

  If elected, the primary concern at Prep I wish to address would be the certain situations that it would take to get a detention. I have noticed that many students have been getting a lot of detention slips and most of them are for reasons that can be explained. I know many of us try our best to follow the rules and yet when we make one mistake or a minor error, we get a detention. There should be more consideration when it comes to taking away a students time after school or before school. Especially if it’s affecting the students and making them feel as if they are being treated unfairly. Most students don’t even show up to their outstanding detentions or regular detentions, so I would say this issue needs to be thought out. This alone could affect the attendance of our peers and how they perform at school.

• What new events would you bring to Prep for the students?

New events that I would bring for the Prep students when I become Vice President would be more activities throughout the school year. Such as for spirit weeks, there would be more than just dressing down, there could be certain events that take place that don’t take up class time or affect a students learning. This could be a little scavenger hunt or little trivia’s that could be posted throughout the day. Not only that, but I would love to bring back field days for the high school students as we all deserve to have a fun filled day with our friends and gain more social time during our school time. Another event that I think would be positive for the student body would be dressing up for Halloween again. I know many people think that we are too old for Halloween, but I believe that choice should be up to us as we are still young learning teenagers. Besides that, I want to mainly hear what students have to offer when it comes to what they want to see in their school. We all deserve to have a chance to voice what we want to see and what we want to do. No opinion or idea is a bad one.

JESSICA LATORRE

• What qualities make you stand out among the candidates?

This could shoot me in the foot, but I can’t say precisely what makes me stand out. I do think, however, that there’s something good in being common. I think people generally think certain achievements are only meant for certain people, like the geniuses, the people that are always on top of their stuff. I’m in a bunch of activities like dance, guard, student council, NHS, and theater but like so is Alison. And I take pride in those things but in terms of character I’m common. I’m dedicated to what I want to do, I’m passionate, I like to see progress in myself, but I’m also shy, awkward, and I struggle through my schoolwork and responsibilities sometimes. I see those things in a bunch of people around me. But I’m me and I’ll say I stick out because I’m the only person I know that is all the things I mentioned combined and even though I’m always scared and shaking to put myself out there, I do it anyway because I want the things I used to think are out of reach to be in my grasp. I think I’m also the only candidate that wasn’t born and raised in Passaic. This might seem random, but this very fact is something I hold dearly because even though I wasn’t born and raised here like most of my peers, it feels like I’ve been here my whole life. I had gone to five or six schools prior to coming to Passaic and I never had imagined that I would stay anywhere for more than a year or two. When I came to Passaic, I thought it’d be like all of my other stays, but I’ve been here since 6th grade and no other place has felt more like home. I’d like to help make change in the only school in my life that I’ve been able to stay so long in and love.

• If elected, what is the primary concern at Prep that you hope to address?

If elected, the primary concern at Prep that I would hope to address is getting activity ideas in on time. One of the main reasons why we don’t do some of the fun things we actually would like to do is because we, the student council, have to get our ideas approved and sometimes, by the time we get it in it’s too late and we can no longer work on that idea. For example, there were plans for a high school field day, but when the locations we could go to were looked at, they were already booked for the rest of the year. On a smaller scale, even fundraising has to get their ideas approved on time since there’s usually a theme that goes with the month, but if we don’t get it approved soon enough that idea quickly becomes something that we’d simply hope to work on next year.

• What new events would you bring to Prep for the students?

They aren’t new events but I’d like to bring back field day for the high schoolers and spirit week. Spirit week/month is something that we did a lot less this year. I think everyone would like to see those two things come back. In terms of new events, I think solely in terms of SEL day we could think of more creative ideas such as an escape room, a watercolor room, things of that nature.

JOSE MATA

• What qualities make you stand out among the candidates?

I consider myself to be nothing short of a leader, someone who’s able to guide others and make sure their concerns are heard. Having served on the Service Committee’s executive board in my first year as part of our school’s Student Council, it has given me valuable experience when it comes to effective communication and decision-making. Additionally, I’m a more than reliable person who fulfills the expectations of others and remains encouraged when confronted with a problem. The position of vice president would give me a platform to showcase my qualities to the best of my ability, looking for change and making our school an overall improved environment.

• If elected, what is the primary concern at Prep that you hope to address?

One of the biggest concerns I’ve seen and taken into consideration from the opinions of other students is the lack of communication at both student and teacher levels. It is my goal to bring attention to this issue and work alongside the PREP community in an effort to voice any concerns or changes they wish to be made. Change is made by bringing attention to detail and it starts with an effective leader in order to accomplish a greater goal. By improving communication, this can be solved by hosting short meetings amongst a safe environment where everyone can include their honest thoughts and opinions.

• What new events would you bring to Prep for the students?

As of recently, many schools and districts have diverted from the consistent output of field trips and activity days for students to enjoy time off during the week which is why it is something I wish to address as a member of the executive board. Having multiple fundraisers and activities outside of school to raise money for such trips is essential for us to organize and plan any sort of event. Hosting events such as mini-garage sales that benefit our school as a whole can go a long way when it comes to enjoying time together as a connected school community.

LINA POPOCA

• What qualities make you stand out among the candidates?

A quality that makes me stand out among the other candidates is my experience.  I was one of the 3 people who organized all of the school events this school year.  Events I have organized have been all SEL day, Themed dress downs, The high school Valentine’s Day Masquerade, and our Spirit Month in December.  Another quality would be my school spirit.  Any chance I get I will represent the school.  Dressing up as a Raven, being one of the MCs for a Pep Rally, or participating in both the school play and musical are ways I show my school spirit.  Lastly, a quality that makes me stand out is my love for speaking out.  If there is an issue that could be solved, I will speak out.  I am usually not afraid to voice my or my peers’ concerns because I want to make sure that improvement is always made.

• If elected, what is the primary concern at Prep that you hope to address?

The Primary Concern at Prep that I hope to address is the lack of guidance.  Students, especially underclassmen, oftentimes feel unsure of what to do during their high school careers.  Newer freshmen feel shy in a new building, and freshmen who were in Prep for their Middle School years still have that Middle School Mentality.  Upper-classmen might have not spent their earlier high school years involved in sports or clubs and are struggling when filling out college applications.  To solve this problem, I would like to initiate an “Older Sibling,” program in which an underclassman would have an upperclassman to rely on.  Underclassmen can feel more encouraged and confident when having a person with experience to ask questions to, and upperclassmen would have a sort of leadership experience, along with an additional point to add to their college resume.

• What new events would you bring to Prep for the students?

New events that I would bring to Prep are high schoolers getting the privilege to participate in field day again, and More frequent but newer Theme days.  After AP testing and a long year of hard work, students should have a field day to spend time having fun outside with their friends and creating memories that will last long after highschool.  In order to achieve these, I will need your feedback.  Do you want to dress up as your favorite artist on a theme day?  What theme days do you dislike?  What theme days do you like?  I want to hear it all.

HAILEY SANGUINO

• What qualities make you stand out among the candidates?

I think my willingness to adapt to different changes makes me stand out among the other candidates. Throughout high school I’ve faced numerous challenges forcing me to change the way I study, and prioritize the things in my life. Instead of letting these challenges push me down, I changed the way I did things for the better. Since I know I am capable of adapting to new and different situations, I know I can be a successful Vice President while still maintaining my other clubs and commitments.

• If elected, what is the primary concern at Prep that you hope to address?

The primary concern at Prep I would hope to address would be the ongoing battle of detentions. There would be students with numerous outstanding detentions, but instead of giving them more detention communicate other ways they can make up their detention. Maybe in exchange for a detention they can volunteer at school, tutor a middle schooler in the morning before school, or even serve the detention during lunch if that student isn’t able to after school or during the weekend.

• What new events would you bring to Prep for the students?

Two events I really want to bring to life if I were elected as Vice President would be Staircase Messages and Catch Up Days. Staircase Messages is when students write on the steps of the stairs in our school with inspiring words of advice. I feel like Staircase Messages wouldn’t only make our school look better but bring a little encouragement to those going up and down the stairs. Then I know sometimes life can get a little hectic or sometimes there just isn’t enough hours in the day to complete all your school work so I propose Catch Up Days. One day every quarter students are allowed to complete any missing or late work. For those who have no work to catch up on can complete extra credit assignments given by the teacher, or it can be a nice time to get ahead of the class and complete any upcoming work! Now I know I said two events but there’s a third one that keeps creeping up on me whenever I think of school events and this is a Cultural fair, where students would be allowed to get together and share their cultural heritage through food, dance, music, and other traditions. This would allow our students to learn more about not only their own culture but other students’ cultures.