In an attempt to attain votes for their election, a caucus was held for the ASB office candidates on Thursday, March 22 in the school gym, during fourth period. The positions available included ASB president, ASB vice-president, class presidents, vice-presidents, secretary, and treasurer. Voting took place from Tuesday, March 27 to Thursday, March 29 at the ASB window with the only requirement being a school ID.
Running for sophomore class president and vice president were Priscilla Rolon and Jasmine Acosta. Up against each other for the junior class were Marjan Abubo and Rachel Rodriguez versus Jerry Rivas and Amanda Azurduy. Alejandro Lomeli and Bryan Walker ran for the senior class positions. Sydnee Larson was up for ASB treasurer, while Selena Dolmuz and Naomi Frontela faced each other for the position of ASB secretary. Kimberly Arias was the only candidate running for ASB vice-president; however, there were four seeking the position of ASB president. Those hopeful contenders were Carla Rosales, Jazze Reppert, Dayze Castellanos, and Brianna Rodriguez.
The candidates ached to grab the attention of possible voters and made their best attempt to leave an impact. While some stuck to a casual speech that they hoped would be enough, others went out of their way and offered comedy, rapping, and dancing to make sure they got their message across. The first to present their speech was Priscilla Rolon and Jasmine Acosta who ran for sophomore class president and vice-president.
“I am running for vice-president to gain more knowledge and to be able to do a better job once I run for president in the following years,” candidate Acosta said.
The approach of justifying why she wanted her position succeeded as the audience cheered for Acosta. Bringing a twist to their speech, sophomores Marjan Abubo and Rachel Rodriguez, commenced with the song “Black and Yellow” playing in the background. The audience applauded at their energy and clever choice of presentation.
Yet another method was telling the voters what they would benefit from if the person speaking won. Running for secretary, junior Selena Dolmuz explained what she would bring to the table next year.
“If I win, then the cabinet of ASB will be all seniors, which means our senior year next year will be the best because our priorities will be for the senior class,” Dolmuz said.
Creativity was not far from the speeches, and the Associate Student Body proved that politics does not need to be all serious talk. The speeches were composed of honesty, amusement, and pure entertainment. Kimberly Arias began her speech by quoting the Hannah Montana song “Nobody’s Perfect” and ended her speech with a reference to a very popular current blockbuster.
“Vote for me if you like The Hunger Games, vote for me if you don’t like The Hunger Games, vote for me if you don’t know what The Hunger Games are,” Junior Kimberly Arias said.
The students rejuvenated the concept of a caucus and had the crowd participating and anxious to hear more. Keeping the election fair, students had their ID cards hole-punched to verify their votes. Shirts, buttons, and posters filled the campus encouraging students to make their way to the ASB window. The turnout for this election was unlike any other and the interest that came from the Vikings. Next year depends largely on the people who ran, and they seem to have overwhelming support to keep improving the campus.
The winners were announced on Monday, April 2 during second period. The people who will be representing the Associate Student Body office in the upcoming year as president and vice president include Priscilla Rolon and Jasmine Acosta for the sophomore class, Marjan Abubo and Rachel Rodriguez for the junior class, and Alejandro Lomeli and Bryan Walker for the senior class. The new ASB treasurer is Sydnee Larson, while Naomi Frontela won the position of secretary. Kimberly Arias is the new vice president and Dayze Castellanos reigned in as the new 2013 ASB president.
