Posters, debates, and sweets are an indication of election season. Since before April  break, candidates worked on their election campaigns, from finding running mates to crafting platforms explaining why the student body should vote for them. Debates and speeches began on April 18 and continued through May 6, when the student body heard the Treasurer and Presidential speeches. Following this, the Upper School voted for part of the 2025/2026 Cabinet as well as Committee Heads. To win, candidates must obtain over 50% of the student body votes, otherwise run off speeches and a second round of voting occurs. Ratification and the passing of the gavel will take place on May 22nd. 

Like every year, both Cabinet and Committee positions must be filled. For Cabinet, the student body voted for the new President, Director of Committee Affairs (DCA), Treasurer, and four Senate Heads. These Cabinet members then select the other Cabinet members through an application process.

Note: The remainder of this article was written and reported prior to the release of election results on May 6. 

President:

Daniel Chang

Ella Goodman

DCA:

Ari Deutsch

Graysen Pendry

Eric Maset

Treasurer:

Alaina Prokup

Max Satterfield

Penny Wood

Senate: 

Brady Harris, Jade Labkon, Fiona Chazen, and Jackson Flaum (FBJJ)

Tallulah Koenig, Trisen Phillips, Aragon Goldman, and Lilah Weed (TALK)

Some common goals of Cabinet candidates are to increase transparency, communication, and execution based on student feedback. 

Ella Goodman, one of the two presidential candidates, plans to use her “experience and drive for Student Government” to “put the student back in Student Government” according to her platform. To do this, Goodman intends to create a checks and balances system for Cabinet members and faculty advisors to “ensure they don’t overstep their power.” Goodman also wants to expand the role of the 360 Review Board and work with the DEIB Seminar, Inclusion Coordinator, and Affinity Heads to continue to support the student body throughout their high school experiences. Another one of Goodman’s goals is to create a place for students to log meetings so that multiple meetings don’t occur at once, and so that students don’t have to choose between activities. Finally, Goodman plans to make student government more accessible by simplifying the proposal and resolution processes, and creating an overarching goal for the year with the student body to recall if plenary ever gets out of hand or lacks progress. 

“At first, it was weird seeing myself on posters in the halls and speaking out to large groups,” Goodman said, “However, I have learned that I need to push myself in order to put myself out there.” Goodman intends to use her experience as Secretary, Senate Head, and as an involved community member to create change at Parker. 

 “People do not realize how rare a student government like this is and I want to take advantage of it and allow students’ voices to be heard,” Goodman said. “I know that with my work ethic and care for Student Government that I will 100% make all of [my goals] happen.” 

Meanwhile, presidential candidate Daniel Chang wishes to improve communication by modifying existing Cabinet positions, such as the Student Government Social Media Manager, “since the infrastructure is already there.” As outlined in his platform, Chang plans to adjust this position to make it more impactful on the community by splitting its responsibilities with a new position: SG Communications. Together, these positions will work to send out weekly notification emails, post social media announcements, and send a summary of what happens during Plenary to the faculty. He also has a goal to “improve the onboarding process for new students” by presenting student government information to freshmen during their orientation. 

“That way, the freshmen don’t have much to worry about yet, they aren’t distracted by schoolwork, and they can start the school year spending more time with the rest of the student body,” Chang said, “I’m super excited to put this into action since it’s inspired by my own experiences and critiques as a freshman.”

While Chang has found “balancing schoolwork with the campaign” difficult and while “some people believe that some of the initiatives that I propose regarding the onboarding of new students are redundant and unneeded,” Chang said he is “especially proud of my platform and posters.”

Chang is involved in groups ranging from Food Council to band, leading Cookies, being a part of the golf team, and participating in other smaller clubs. He has also held leadership positions such as Sophomore Class President, organizer of several Asian Affinity events, and former Curriculum Committee Head.

 “I love the community, and I love getting to know the community,” Chang said, “It is this passion and knowledge of the community that I think truly qualifies me for this role, even more so than my leadership experience.”

Other groups, such as TALK for Senate, also plan to utilize their “network of connections,” individual qualifications and Parker experience, and commitment to becoming senate heads, if elected. TALK’s goals include incentivizing attendance through communication, addressing broader Parker and real world topics, and creating an inclusive and interactive senate space. 

Another common theme this election season has been the large number of freshmen running for Student Government positions in comparison to previous years. This year there are freshmen running for positions from Committee Heads to MX Communications, Food Council, and Treasurer. 

Treasurer candidate Alaina Prokup said she is “highly organized, responsible, and focused on turning plans into real action.” Prokup plans to use these characteristics to make sure that the student government money is used “wisely, fairly, and transparently and in ways that help all students” and plans “to create a clear, organized budget, make financial information more understandable, and be very careful with how funds are managed.” 

“I’m focused on long-term thinking, not just quick fixes,” Prokup said, “as a freshman, I’ll be here for the long term, which means I will live with the results of every decision I make.”

Prokup also noted that being an underclassman has been a challenge as “some people treat Student Government elections more like popularity contests rather than focusing on how qualified someone is.” However, she has also found success in “showing students that I’m serious about the work and that I care about making smart, lasting decisions.”

Students, such as sophomore Sascha Keller have seen the candidates all “put so much work into their platforms and campaigns and posters.”

“They all really want these positions,” Keller said. Chang felt the same way, sharing how much the position would mean to him.

 “To be able to see, talk to, and lead the student body would bring me so much joy,” Chang said. “Being President would be, in a way, validation of my effort and toil; a crowning achievement to recognize how far I’ve come.”

Goodman also shared how much she wanted the position saying, “I want this position because I have genuine passion for SG and want to take advantage of the change we can create as a student body.”

“I think every candidate is really qualified and they all worked so hard for these positions,” Keller said, “in the end it will just come down to who the student body decides to vote on.”