On October 3, 2023, the South community was surprised to learn that there would be three senior council presidents this year. In years past, only one senior was elected president. So, what happened this year that caused the change?
At the Senior Council interest meeting, advisor Corey Reynolds stated that anyone interested in a leadership position should email him. He would then post a Google Form on the Google Classroom and stated that anyone who wanted to vote would have to be an active member of the club. After this meeting, four students emailed Reynolds and expressed their interest in becoming senior council president.
Presidential candidate Sofia Park stated, “I talked to Mr. Reynolds last year about Senior Council, and after much discussion, I decided that I wanted to run for president because I wanted to do fun things for my senior year. Since it’s our last year, I want to make it memorable.” Fellow candidate Mia Secondino agreed, stating that, “I wanted to make my senior year fun by reinstituting fun events from the past that we haven’t had in my years at South, such as Powder Puff and Mr. South.”
The Google Form to vote was posted, and after the first day of the polls being opened, almost everyone who had come to the initial interest meeting had voted. Sofia Park was in first place, with Mia Secondino one vote behind. At the end of the week, the polls had shifted, with a third candidate, Jay Rafferty, joining the ranks.
Among the senior council, questions arose about the election results. After much discussion, Reynolds and assistant principal Vincent Esposito announced that the position would be split three ways. Sofia Park, Mia Secondino, and Jay Rafferty were all named winners of the election.
Many students, especially seniors, have strong opinions on the decision to have three co-presidents. Some students believe that this three-way presidency is a blessing in disguise, as the duties of senior council president are immense, and more things are likely to get done with three people helping each other. Others worry that not all candidates will be invested in the senior council in the same way.
In the end, the leadership team of Sofia Park, Mia Secondino, and Jay Rafferty will work together this year, with the responsibility of planning prom and many senior events. Congratulations to our first presidential trio!