Why do you want to run for school president?
Aditi: So I grew up at Woodstock, it’s been my home and I think it’s shaped me for a very large part of who I am today. I think when you grow up in a place, you have a tendency to want to give back and that’s essentially why I’m running. I want to work for the community and create a better sense of inclusivity on campus and a very large part of that would be starting more events that have more inter-grade bonding.
Tiara: I’ve been at Woodstock for a very long time now and I care a lot about this school. I’ve seen a lot of people struggle, and I’ve seen the school struggle with a lot of things. Since this school is a part of me now since I’ve been here for so long, I want to give something back to the school and I want to contribute to school justice.
What is your #1 priority?
Aditi: I would outline two, I don’t think I could pick one. One is the sense of community we want to bring back and one is transparency. I know the current student council members made great strides in increasing transparency and I think we can build on that. We want to have more anonymous forms and open StuCo more often – going into check-ins, homerooms, and stuff like that. Additionally, we have some ideas of more events we could start to increase community building.
Tiara: My biggest priority is understanding the student body and prioritizing their needs first. I’m running for the student body and not for anything else.
What is one change you think Woodstock needs and what do you think is one thing Woodstock needs to preserve?
Aditi: I think one change Woodstock needs is better communication between students and administration, I think there are a lot of gaps and rules being imposed that students don’t necessarily agree with. Rules are important but I think there needs to be better communication and more so a middle ground than extremities. Something that Woodstock needs to preserve that we’re slowly losing is how much we looked forward to our events. I remember my first Win Mumby and I remember this year – there’s a big gap.
Tiara: One thing that I want to change is I want to give both staff and students a system where they have equal consequences and where both can be held accountable for their actions. The one thing that I want to preserve is the school spirit that we have during events, and maybe even increase that.
What sets you apart from the other candidates?
Aditi: I think I have a lot of experience in leadership. I was class governor in grades 8, 9, and 10. I’m also a member of the NHS and the AHC as well as a CAC member. I’m the captain of the badminton team, I have a startup on the side, and I was also Woodstock’s TedEx speaker. I was also their youngest ever debate club president, so I think my experience in leadership makes me a good candidate.
Tiara: The driving force for my campaign – the reason why I’m doing this and what sets me apart – is that I’m not doing this for myself, I’m doing this for the students because I care so much about our school and our student body. I want to see everyone happy.
What are your thoughts on the “no confidence” campaign?
Aditi: I think if the student body believes that none of us can represent them adequately – we’re not perfect right – and they believe that we won’t get better at this and we won’t give it our best then they should vote no confidence. But if they think we’re good candidates they should give us a shot. They should listen to us and decide who they want to vote for that way. I don’t agree with voting no confidence just because other people are doing it. But if they don’t believe that we are good candidates they have every right.
Tiara: I think everyone has the right to vote for whoever they want to and the ideas that they like. While I think it’s completely okay for someone to vote no confidence, they should take the time out to see all of us and hear what we have to say before they make that decision. So everyone should be given the right to be heard before that no confidence decision is made but at the end of the day it is everyone’s choice- they’re going to pick their school president.
Eliza is Head of Media and Communications.
Edited by Asha.
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