As Mr. Hanley and current Student Council executives Zander Erturkuner & Garrett Amy stood patiently, yet intently, the scantron machine slowly tallied up the votes, one by one. Two more for Wunderlick. Another vote for Pontikes. Hamrick gets three more votes. This went on until finally the final ballot was accounted for, and the new names of Student Council emerged.
Last week on Tuesday, April 7th, Jesuit’s Student Council held its election for the 2015-2016 school year. A total of twenty candidates were on the ballot for the upcoming term with only twelve available spots, three per class with the exception of seniors. In the end, though, these were the people who came out on top and will be serving on the council next year:
Class of 2016
Peter Hamrick, Class President
Trey Russell, Vice President
Michael Boyson, Representative
Michael Pontikes, Representative
Class of 2017
Bobby Wunderlick, Class President
Chase Burciaga, Vice President
Abbas Hussain, Representative
Class of 2018
Reid Hatzmann, Class President
Lindsay Brown, Vice President
Luke Przybylski, Representative
Along with student body, President Griffin Scott, and Vice President Rusty Landon, these new officers will move in and begin meeting every Wednesday to plan the next school year swiftly after the seniors graduate and move on. “The Old Team was great at making small changes throughout campus, changes that people wouldn’t recognize as a Student Council. They preferred to work behind the scenes with different groups and not receive any credit. They truly understood what it meant to ‘labor and not ask for reward,'” remarks Student Council moderator and English teacher Mr. Colin Hanley. While it was a good year, “I’m very excited to work with the new council,” he continues. “We had our first official meeting and the energy and enthusiasm they are bringing is contagious. They want to help the school community as much as they can, not only their peers but also faculty, staff, and the entire Jesuit community. I support them in all that they strive to accomplish .”
Along with Mr. Hanley, President Griffin Scott, who will now be on the council for all his four years at Jesuit, also looks forward to the new year and new faces: “Everyone appears to be willing to devote time and effort to our projects.” Looking towards his term as president, he stated “I plan to start my presidency by finding solutions to school issues and student suggestions. For example, the nonfunctional microwaves in the cafeteria are currently a priority.”
Michael Pontikes ‘16 has also been on the Council for four years and will continue with a fourth term next year. He feels that “the new team is new in the sense that a lot of the members have never been on Student Council.” In the past, Pontikes has been the Council’s Web Specialist, organizing their Moodle page and media. “Personally, I like the fact that these new people have new ideas and perspectives that they contribute to our discussions. Also, there are also some veterans on council that help direct these ideas into things we can do for the school,” continues Michael. “As a senior leader, I plan on continuing what I have done in the past years while helping the underclassmen to become the future leaders of the council.”
“This is my first year on student council so I plan to follow the lead set by those ahead of me,” says newcomer Bobby Wunderlick ’17. “I plan on making sure I listen to those in my grade and grate their ideas so I can do what they elected me to do. I think the new student council team is a great variety of students that will be able to work together because the diversity will create great ideas and conversations.”
This upcoming year is looking quite strong for Student Council. With a diverse mix of new officers like Bobby working with seasoned veterans such as Pontikes and Scott, the Council will apply a strong, well-rounded mindset to the school’s problems and contribute a wide array of ideas and goals.
