Eleven Benjamin students decided to participate in a competitive election process in hopes of being one of next year’s Student Council’s officers. Of the eleven candidates, five were successful in their pursuits.

All applicants completed a resume, filmed a brief video, and wrote a series of responses to an officer position application form. A folder containing each candidate’s information for other students to review and decide who would represent the school best was sent out to the Upper School.

Vanessa Zito, a current freshman at TBS, went through this application process. She decided to run for the position of Treasurer based on several factors. At the beginning of her freshman year, she was elected as the Class Representative, giving her some familiarity and experience with Student Council. 

“Going into sophomore year I wanted to challenge myself to really strive to further make an impact in my community. I knew that at some point in the future I wanted to run for an Officer Position, so I decided that because Student Council was something I had invested a lot of time and energy into, that running would be a good choice,” explained Zito.

Sophomore Maggie Smith chose to run for historian. She was one of two potential candidates running for the position. Similar to Zito, she had been associated with Student Council in the past.

“I chose to run for historian because I wanted to be able to share the actions of the student council with the study body. I have always been a part of the student council, so I made the decision to run because I really want to help the student body and share all of their ideas,” Smith says.

Many applicants publicized their campaigns by sending out emails, handing out food, or reaching out and connecting to people in person. Students advertised characteristics and experience that made them qualified for the position they ran for.

“I advised my years in the financial club at my middle school, my experience on the debate team to show that I can argue and get things done, a brief synopsis of the sports I’ve played and the academic achievements I have,” said freshman Angelena Townsend, who competed alongside Vanessa Zito and several others for the Treasure position.

In a show of friendship and connection between Benjamin students, Alex Fleming Lake chose to run as Vice President alongside Owen Nutter, who ran as President. The two worked together to advertise their campaign.

“My friend has wanted to run for President since sophomore year, so I joined him because he was my friend and I thought it would be cool if we ran together. I chose to run for Vice President because my friend [Owen Nutter] wanted the President position, and I knew how important that was to him, so I didn’t mind taking the Vice President position at all,” said junior Fleming Lake.”

All election candidates had many promising qualifications, and in addition, put an incredible amount of hard work into the process of running. The entire election process process took nearly a month.

Owen Nutter succeeded in running for President against Skylar Jones, and Leo Byrne won Vice President Position. Taylor Grande, who faced no competitors, was elected as Secretary. Vanessa Zito successfully campaigned for Treasurer and was elected, along with Maggie Smith for Historian.

“I think my overall campaigning really gave me an upward advantage to win the election,” said current junior Leo Byrne. 

Maggie Smith believes that the application process necessary to be completed and provided by the school was a great way of enlightening students voting to candidate’s backgrounds and involvement in activities. 

“I think the thing that helped me the most was being able to answer everyone’s questions and having all of my past achievements available for everyone to see,” says Smith.

Now, as elected officials of Student Council, it is their responsibility to fulfill their duties of the assumed position. It is important for officials to take change into their own hands, hear the student body’s concerns, and organize school events. Junior Owen Nutter, as President, will have the responsibility of doing so.

“I plan to do a lot of things as president, to the extent that I cannot confirm anything specific, however, I will say that my plan for the year is to make Student Council more than what it is now. I want to instill student council as the cornerstone of activity in our school and make the school a place with passion and spirit. I think Student Council can be and do more than what it is now and I intend to pursue this as President,” says Nutter. 

With new Student Council members fulfilling their positions, students at The Benjamin School can look forward to a new school year with abundant potential.