As Upper Schoolers returned from spring break, there was a noticeable change within the walls of Parker. At almost every corner on the third and fourth floors, they were met face to face with dozens of posters. Some are bright and colorful, some tell jokes, some are even collaged together, but they all ask for the same thing. As soon as the first poster is hung up, boldly requesting the student body to vote for someone, one thing is clear: election season is underway at Parker.
There are twenty-one available positions for election, both as individuals and as a group, creating many opportunities and allowing students to run for something they are truly passionate about. Some students look forward to election season all year long, anticipating running for positions and creating their campaign alongside all of the special events that come with it, like Democrafest and the annual Passing of the Gavel event.
“I personally love election season because that’s when students with real passion are able to show how much they care through their campaign, through their platform, and through all that they do,” sophomore Uriel Castaneda said. “I’m currently running for Senate, and during the process I planned and came organized. I think election season brings out a lot of good qualities in the student body, like creativity and decoration.”
Creativity appears in many ways all throughout election season:slate names, platform ideas, and special papers stuck onto walls with masking tape: posters. Posters let all students, even those who aren’t running, remain informed and involved about election season, as well as increase student spirit.
“My favorite part of election season is looking at the walls and seeing the various posters that are up,” sophomore Sloane Trukenbrod said. “I also enjoy watching passionate people debate each other if they actually care about what they’re talking about,” he added. “I can tell they work really hard on it.”
Alongside being a fun experience to watch and prepare for, some students suggest that running for a position acts as a learning experience. “Running a campaign is really good practice, because you get public speaking experience in front of a big crowd, and you get practice communicating in a group, which really does build that muscle that is needed outside of the classroom,” sophomore Sukie McIntosh said.
Community is an aspect of school life that Parker’s mission strives for, and election season is a significant event that reinforces this theme. Everyone in the Upper School may participate in running, and all participate in voting, giving everyone, regardless of grade level, a chance to come together. “Election season really helps people get involved with working with others that they wouldn’t usually work with,” freshman Joren Saltzberg said.
“Election season is a really great opportunity for students to get further involved in student government if they haven’t had the chance to before. With that being said, I think that people should run only if they genuinely have change that they think they care about implementing. If people don’t have that intention, it’s wrong for them to run because it takes away an opportunity from the student body,” sophomore Sadie Ankin said.
“I think so many people run without passion, and it’s genuinely agitating. A lot of people tend to run for the college application instead of hoping to ensure that Committees get better,” said Castaneda, in agreement with Ankin. Overall, a general theme is apparent––many students use election season, a time meant to run for positions to better support Parker’s Student Government, as an opportunity to increase the appeal of their college applications. Senior Nia Nashashibi said this focus on college applications can be damaging to the student body. “I love election season so much. But my biggest critique is people running off of popularity, thinking people are just going to vote for them because they’re their friends,” she said..
In addition to the various problems students have with the structure of election season and the reasons that candidates choose to run, some believe that election season isn’t a season full of joy but one full of pressure. “It’s so stressful,” Ankin said, “and platforms being due at the end of spring break is so overwhelming. It doesn’t give people enough time and is detrimental to the student experience over spring break. I also think that the posters all over the hallways are really overstimulating, and if I’m already feeling anxious, it makes it worse.”
While emotions do run high, and students have differing opinions on election season, one thing is clear. “We really do have such a strong student government that’s well organized,” according to Nashashibi. Student Government is built on hard work by students, for students, and having an election season is an opportunity most schools don’t offer. “I feel like students just really need to take advantage of that. That’s why I think it’s important to vote for people who actually want to make a difference,” she said.
