Palo Alto High School’s Associated Student Body is holding its annual freshman elections on the Quad, with voting starting at 8:30 a.m. today and ending at 3:30 p.m. Friday. This year’s election presents an unusually large number of candidates, with five students running for class president and two running for class vice-president, according to Student Activities Director Matt Hall.
“That’s over and above last year’s count by about three or four candidates,” Hall said.
The increase in candidates compared to last year exhibits a greater involvement in ASB, promising an interesting upcoming election with more student involvement, according to Hall.
Results will be released Friday afternoon, Hall said.
Freshmen can vote at: https://www.tallyspace.com/vote/pahs
To view candidates’ speeches, go to: https://goo.gl/v4AN0Z
Here’s a quick overview of the candidates and their responses to questions posed by The Paly Voice:
Freshman president: Claire Chen
Her goals for Paly if elected: “I want to make sure all the new kids feel included and make sure our class is a lot of fun this year.”
Why she decided to run: “I wanted to run because I was 8th grade president and I have some cool ideas for Paly.”
Thoughts on Paly so far: “I love the freedom of the open campus and I like it a lot better than middle school.”
Go-to spot at Town and Country: Jamba Juice
Chocolate or vanilla ice cream: Chocolate
Freshman president: Caroline Furrier
Her goals for Paly if elected: “My goals are to listen to other people and get lots of new ideas from them, but also to think of things that I think need to be solved in the future.”
Why she decided to run: “I really want to make a difference at this school, and help people solve problems and I think I’m a proper candidate for that position.”
Thoughts on Paly so far: “I love the open campus and I’m really looking forward to Spirit Week. Overall Paly is amazing.”
Go-to spot at Town and Country: Cheese House
Chocolate or vanilla ice cream: Vanilla
Freshman president: Jaylah Acosta
Her goals for Paly if elected: “I want to be more interactive with other grades, so instead of having just a freshman-only or senior parties, have more freshman-junior parties and mix it up.”
Why she decided to run: “I want to be part of a community where you can have a voice and say and help people out. This really brought me in.”
Thoughts on Paly so far: “Paly is pretty good. I thought it would be scary with seniors, but everyone’s super friendly.”
Go-to spot at Town and Country: Coldstone
Chocolate or vanilla ice cream: Chocolate
Freshman president: Jared Heller
His goals for Paly if elected: “Definitely to cater to all the kids in my class’s needs.”
Why he decided to run: “I’m fascinated with modern politics.”
Thoughts on Paly so far: “Open campus is awesome. I love being able to go to Town and Country.”
Go-to spot at Town and Country: Lulu’s
Chocolate or vanilla ice cream: Vanilla
Freshman president: Shannon Zhao
Her goals for Paly if elected: “I hope to include everyone in activities and sports. I want to make it a fun year for everyone.”
Why she decided to run: “I decided to run because I really like participating in school events, so I think [by] organizing them and by being class president will take that to the next level.”
Thoughts on Paly so far: “I really like it so far. I’ve met a lot of people outside of my grade, so I think it’s a really open environment.”
Go-to spot at Town and Country: Jamba Juice
Chocolate or vanilla ice cream: Vanilla
Her goals for Paly if elected: “I’m hoping to better represent our student body, mostly our grade.”
Why she decided to run: “I want to be able to connect all of the diverse backgrounds and connect everyone.”
Thoughts on Paly so far: “I think it’s really fun – I think the energy is really good. Everyone seems to be really into spirit.”
Go-to spot at Town and Country: Howie’s
Chocolate or vanilla ice cream: Vanilla
Freshman vice president: Riya Kumar
Her goals for Paly if elected: “Definitely to cater to all the kids in my class’s needs. I also think it’s great if we can get people comfortable with coming to us for any problems. I think that would be really nice.”
Why she decided to run: “I really enjoy helping out students in my school and I thought this would be a great way to do so.”
Thoughts on Paly so far: “I think it’s really fun, I think the energy is really good. Everyone seems to be really into spirit.”
Go-to spot at Town and Country: Howie’s
Chocolate or vanilla ice cream: Vanilla