Student council holds virtual elections

This year due to COVID-19 a lot of things have been adjusted. The BSM community has not only had to readjust the way that it has done school but also things like Mass and even the BSM elections for student council. Although the process of election for student council changed, BSM candidates have been extremely resourceful and refuse to let the setback slow them down.

Instead of the traditional posters and passing out candy, this year participants showed that they were running for office by telling friends and classmates and posting their camping posters on their Snapchat and Instagram stories and asking friends to do the same and spread the word. “In past years, we have used a combination of paper ballots and electronic forms for elections. This year, they had to create posters and videos and email them out to their classes,” Ms. Rachel Olson, a student council adviser, said.

But elections are nothing new. Olson, along with Ms. Mary Fran O’Keefe, Mr. Eric Luna-Martin, and Olson are the two executive board advisers, and they played a big part in the election. Olson, for example, has been doing this job for four years, but she has been participating in elections since she was a student at BSM in the 1990s. “We had student elections at that time, and I participated as junior class president and executive board secretary. I would estimate that elections for student government have been in place since the beginning of our school,” Olson said.

Of course, not everyone who runs for office gets elected. Junior Xela Gunvalson, who was co-treasure as a sophomore and a co-publicist this past year, didn’t win the election this year, but she knows there are other opportunities to lead. “I’m still a leader in other areas of the school where I know I can make a difference. Leading my teams to glorious victories and learning from losses,” Gunvalson said.

Next year the students who will be leading the student council are:

Executive Board for the 2020-2021 School Year

  • Pres – Charlie Damberg
  • VP- Hans Backes
  • Secretary – Ananya Yogarajah
  • Treasurer – Lauren Hawkinson
  • Commissioner of Publicity – Lily Pihart
  • Commissioner of Activities – Charlie Frattalone

Senior Officers – Class of 2021

  • Pres- Nick Marinaro
  • VP – Lucio Fialo
  • Secretary – Sarah McGurl
  • Treasurer- Piper Ehlen

Junior Officers – Class of 2022

  • Pres – Aiden Whalstrom
  • VP- Richard Norman
  • Social Media – Emerson Foley
  • Publicist – Will Hall

Sophomore Officers – Class of 2023

  • Pres – Morgan Olson
  • VP- Robbie Hoyt
  • Secretary- Ameila Beutz
  • Treasurer- William Frattalone