Student Body Elects Class Representatives
Rising lowers, uppers and seniors elected their Student Council class representatives for the next school year this Tuesday.
Uppers Audrey Vanderslice, David Kim and Leah Cohen will serve respectively as the Class of 2020’s President, Vice-President and Treasurer.
In addition, preps Allison Kim, Adam Belew and Aiden Silvestri will represent the Class of 2022; lowers Hannah Lee, Josh Lum, Louis Mukama and Drew Smith will represent the Class of 2021. Four rising uppers will serve as class representatives due to a tie in votes.
The voting turnout for positions consisted of 121 preps or 58.7 percent, 84 lowers or 30.2 percent and 92 uppers or 31.2 percent for their respective elections.
Upper Sam Farnsworth commented that the turnout was unfortunate but not surprising. “It is disappointing that the [rising] senior class did not come out and exercise their democratic right, but Exeter is a tiring pace and people don’t have enough time with academics, sports and extracurriculars,” he said. “It’s a shame, but it’s understandable.”
Senior Issy Wise added that students become busier after prep year. “I feel like it has to do with how preoccupied kids are with other things as they get older,” she said. “Some people probably didn’t even know that it was election day and there are others who don’t want to wait in the line at the booth.”
Class representatives keep their classmates updated on Student Council, design class gear and plan class events. In addition to regular responsibilities, the Senior Class Officers also design E/a gear and maintain a five-year tenure past graduation, keeping alumni connected to Academy affairs.
Cohen added that Senior Class Officers are also responsible for strengthening classmate relationships. “We’re a very close class, and I genuinely think we enjoy each other’s company. I want to focus on getting together and enjoying our last year,” she said.
“You serve as a voice for your class, and as a rep you should have a clear idea of what your class wants,” Cohen continued.
Vanderslice entered the election because of her firm commitment to Student Council and her peers. “I really wanted to stay involved in StuCo, so that in itself has been a huge motivator for me,” she said. “I really enjoy organizing events and I love my class.”
David Kim emphasized the importance of communication. “The main reason I ran was because there was a lot of criticism pertaining to class gear and events last year among the uppers, and some people were upset with the lack of options,” he said. “One of my goals is to improve communication between seniors and officers even [through] using resources like Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms.”
Upper Justin Li has confidence in the new Senior Class Officers. “For our grade, I wasn’t surprised at the results because the competition was very stiff this year,” he said. “I definitely think the three people who were elected for our grade are very confident and capable people that will do a great job for the senior class in the coming years.”
The newly elected Senior Class Officers are hopeful about their tenure and plan to collaborate with representatives from other classes to organize joint activities and events. “I’m very excited to work with my fellow officers,” Vanderslice said. “I honestly want to provide my class with the best possible senior experience.”