Another annual Saint Stephen’s tradition is coming: elections for Student Council and Class Officers.

Some may see running for an elected position as “just for nerds” or for only the most power hungry of our peers, but serving our school and helping fellow students in elected office grants valuable leadership and cooperation experience to all who serve.

If you think you’re up for the challenge of leadership, here’s what you need to know.

The Student Council represents the whole student body. The main, administrative elected positions of the council consist of 6 individuals and are called the Executive Board: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Parliamentarian and Publicist.

Also on the Student Council are class representatives, two per grade, who are elected to listen to the concerns of their grade and convey them to the student council. Together, the Executive Board and the representatives are the Student Council and they are responsible for planning all-school events like Homecoming Week, the Winter Formal dance and Beach Day.

To declare your candidacy or get more information about any of these offices, pick up a form from Ms. Wildes. Applications are due Friday, April 16th at 3pm. On that following Monday, the 19th, the elections will be held.

Now to the Class Officers. Each grade has their own set of elected officials, called Class Officers. The class officer positions are President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. They are responsible for, amongst other things, picking people for spirit events, planning fundraisers and providing class shirts.

Ask your grade level’s head advisor for an application. Those are due Friday, the 17th, but the elections for Class Officers will be held on Wednesday the 21st.

Each application, for both Class Officers and Student Council involves writing a paragraph about your understanding of the role you’re running for and… writing and giving a speech on the day of the election. This can be scary for all of us. In fact, according to the national anxiety center, 73% of the population has Glossophobia, or fear of public speaking. It can be scary to face embarrassment during a speech, but your friends will respect more that you stood up and said what you thought behind that podium than if you were sitting in front of it.

Before we leave you to your campaigns, we wanted to mention the role of Student Council Operations Director. An executive board officer, they aren’t elected by the school, but chosen by the Student Council. These individuals are motivated and creative and are able to help the Student Council in all that they do. Ask Ms. Wildes for a form and more information.

Next year’s Student Council and Class Officers will be confronted with the familiar challenges of a school dealing with a pandemic but also with, with vaccination rates rising, the potential of a more normal school for the coming year. We will need qualified, capable and innovative leaders at all levels. So throw your hat into the ring and build a better school for the future.

[Updates: This article has been updated to reflect the new due dates for applications]