ASB cabinet announced for 2012-2013 school year, Trevis Jackson president
The Associated Student Body (ASB) announced on Friday, May 4 that the 2012-2013 executive board will be composed entirely of seniors for the first time in Samo history.Trevis Jackson, the ASB president for the 2012-2013 school year, had to overcome more struggles than just obtaining votes, because he decided to run for president after being an ASB member for only one year. ASB president is the only position that requires two years of ASB participation.“It was a little more effort for me to run because I had to write a proposal and be approved by the ASB adviser and executive board,” Jackson said. “However, personally, when I’m motivated to do something I’m not going to let little things like that stop me. I was presented with a challenge and I took it with high hopes.”Sophomore Dominique Parks, who ran and lost for Commissioner of Elections to junior Jamila Salih, said that although campaigning was important to her throughout the weeks before the elections, it did not win her the position.“It’s all about people voting for you. You can never know for sure if you have the election in the bag,” Parks said. “It’s important to campaign because you never know who will get added into the ballot against you at the last minute. However, no matter how hard you advertise yourself, you can never be sure that you will win.”Several candidates believe that this year’s elections were more effective than those of previous years. This year, the voting was held in Barnum Hall, and students were able to vote from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.“I think that the elections were successful this year because it was much more organized than in the past,” Parks said. “Last year everything was rushed but this year the whole elections assembly was more put together. However, I do think that it would be more effective to have voting during home room because not as many people are willing to go vote on their own time.”According to Jackson, the elections were successful for the candidates in several ways.“Going from a student to a president was very different because you’re the one giving speeches and campaigning,” Jackson said. “This year I felt as though there was healthy competition — there was no negativity and all the candidates stayed friends throughout the elections, which made it more fun and interesting.”The friendships between candidates made it possible for them to be supportive of one another after the winners were announced. The relationships were also strengthened by the fact that the executive board winners are all seniors.“I think that the elections were a success, we had a good turnout and win or lose, every candidate was supportive of each other in the end by giving congratulations to those who won,” 2012-2013 Senior Class President and current junior Nima Shajarian said.Samo Principal Laurel Fretz believes that the elections were a success.“I think that the elections are super important because they are one of the ways that students really have a voice on campus,” Fretz said. “The people they elect see things from a student’s perspective so I think that it’s really important to have that balance.”ASB adviser Verónica Garcia-Hecht said that she is looking forward to seeing the candidates fulfill their new roles.“I think that all [the candidates] had an equal opportunity and they are all great candidates and are up for the challenge,” Garcia-Hecht said. “I hope that they live up to their promises and that they be the role model of the perfect student — both on campus and off.”According to current junior and 2012-2013 ASB Vice-President Matthew Kimura, now that the winners have been announced, they must all adapt to their new positions before taking them on next year.“My duties are to support the president and step up whenever the president is gone,” Kimura said. “I am hoping to improve the atmosphere of the school and clean it up a bit.”The new executive officers hope that their seniority will help them succeed in their positions.“I think that [the executive board being all seniors] is something special and it obviously shows that the executive board is one that is extremely mature and knows more about Samo due to their experience,” Shajarian said. “It’s also interesting because we are all very diverse and all of different backgrounds. It’s not that we’re only keeping the senior’s thoughts in mind, we are keeping everyone’s thoughts in mind because of how diverse we actually are.”However, despite the benefits the executive board may have, there are also difficulties they will have to overcome.“The pros are that they are very successful students who have the most experience in how the school is run, the history of the school and the different types of events,” Fretz said. “A challenge for those seniors is that they will have to be really careful to not assume that everybody sees it the way they see it. They will have to really be open to listening to younger students and seeing what their needs and concerns are because the way that someone sees it in ninth or tenth grade is not the way a senior sees it.”The senior officers will also have to make sure that younger ASB members planning on running in the next school year are ready for higher positions.“I think that with more experience they’ll come from a unique place,” O-House Principal Clara Herran said. “It’ll be a good situation for next year’s kids because it’s a strong group but I worry about the year after, wondering if it’s building capacity for the next year.”However, the 2012-2013 executive board is confident in their ability to run the school well, and Jackson says that along with accepting their new positions comes deciding the changes they’d like to make.“I have to grasp the role of a president because I know I can’t promise to change things that I can’t change,” Jackson said. “Samo is a very old school and has been prosperous for many years, and so I don’t think that it needs much change. However, I have a strong voice and that’s what inspired me to run — I did it for the students, not for any personal gain.”