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The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

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Freshman elections: Meet the candidates

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:

Test test test
Claire Chen is a candidate for the freshman president position. She was class president at Jordan Middle School. “I was president at my old school and hope to continue,” Chen said. Photo by Ethan Kao.

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

Photo by Ethan Kao
Caroline Furrier is running for freshman president and has many ideas for the upcoming school year. “A personal goal is be looked up to. I want people to know I’m there for them and that will really make me happy if people feel like they can come to me,” Furrier said. Photo by Ethan Kao.

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

Photo by Ethan Kao
Jaylah Acosta is a candidate for freshman president. If elected, she hopes to connect more with all grade levels to create a more unified school. Photo by Ethan Kao.

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

Photo by Ethan Kao
Jared Heller is running for the freshman president position in ASB. He has a fascination with modern politics and hopes to integrate himself with the political community. “I’m loving Paly, much better than middle school,” Heller said. Photo by Ethan Kao.

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

Photo by Ethan Kao
Shannon Zhao is running for the Freshman President position. She was drawn to Paly politics because she enjoys planning and organizing events and hopes to add to the already positive atmosphere at Paly. Photo by Ethan Kao.

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

Photo by Ethan Kao
Vivian Feng is a candidate for the freshman vice president position. She enjoys Paly so far and hopes to connect all members of her class. “I think [Paly’s] really fun, I think the energy is really good. Everyone seems to be really into spirit,” Feng said. Photo by Ethan Kao.
Freshman vice president: Vivian Feng

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

Photo by Ethan Kao
Riya Kumar is a candidate for the freshman vice president position and has “may ideas to better connect our school.” Kumar formerly held the position of Multicultural Commissioner at Jordan Middle School. She was drawn to the position of class vice president because of its interconnectivity between all members of the class. Photo by Ethan Kao.

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

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