From March 12 to March 21, the campus was decorated with catchy, passionate posters in honor of Campaign Week which allows students to connect with candidates for class elections. Each year, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors utilize different methods of campaigning in order to be chosen as an officer to help improve the experiences of their peers in the upcoming school year.
This year, students will be voting for a president, vice president, secretary/ treasurer, and social chairperson from their respective grade levels. With multiple candidates running for the same position, Campaign Week serves as an important factor in determining the final class officers.
“The purpose of campaign week is for the student body to elect their leaders for the upcoming year, and to make sure that their voices are heard,” 2027 Class President Candidate Kieza Martinez (10) said.
Each year, candidates look for new ways to campaign, whether it’s painting aesthetic posters or posting trendy Tik Toks.
“I have been using social media, like Instagram and TikTok, making daily posts and messaging people within my class to get them to campaign with me,” Class of 2026 President Candidate Addison Tan (11) said. “I also have a picture frame with sunglasses that I am having people take pictures with for candy to also campaign with me, and we have just been trying to spread the word by passing out flyers to get people to vote.”
Others steer away from social media by focusing on simply interacting with peers on campus.
“I’m not using social media for my campaign. I don’t want others to feel pressure to repost things,” Class of 2026 Social Chairperson candidate Ethen West (11) said. “I think that what I’m doing here at school is good enough, and I’m running unopposed, so I don’t think I need to use social media to advocate for myself.”
However, no matter each candidates’ individual plans to make their name heard, the school sets strict ground rules in order to ensure fairness. All social media designs, posters, and purchases had to be approved. Additionally, social media posts couldn’t go up until 12:00 AM on Monday, and posters could only be put up starting at 7:00 AM on Monday. However, one of the largest challenges for candidates was that they were not allowed to spend over $20 in campaign week materials. These guidelines ultimately encouraged creativity among students.
“it’s really hard to not go over $20 and also getting stuff approved,” Martinez said. “As for posters, I think it’s just natural problems, like the wind, rain, and weather.”
Despite possible challenges that came with Campaign Week, candidates continued approaching the nerve wracking, but exciting time with positivity and hopes to improve the campus next school year.
“It’s not about who I am, it’s about what I can do for you,” West said.
This year’s class candidates include:
Class of 2028
President
Madelyn Araki
Kaylamarie Pacheco
Preston Tukay
Vice President
Jaiden Kwon
Madelynn Tsai
Jocelyn Rodriguez
Secretary/Treasurer
Alice Diep
Calin Tonthat
Emily Min
Social Chairperson
Makayla Kiddoo
Class of 2027
President
Kieza Martinez
Charles Kam
Victoria Perez
Vice President
Antonio Chen
Malee Dinh
Secretary/Treasurer
Loretta Zhang
Laila Kumar
Social Chairperson
Hannah Bautista
Elian Oliveros
Chloe Avelino
Class of 2026
President
Kane Wukelich
Addison Tan
Vice President
Priya Devine
Secretary/Treasurer
Fiza Ahmad
Social Chairperson
Ethen West
Results of the elections are expected to be announced in the following weeks.
