As the end of the school year approaches, so do elections for Wayland High School’s student council. On Friday, May 20 from 8:20 a.m. until 3:25 p.m. in the commons, WHS students will vote for their 2022-2023 school year student council president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer.

For the 2022-2023 school year, there are three rising senior pairs running for student council president and vice president. The pairs include Delia Caulfield and Alex DiCarlo, Morgen Warner and Declan Murphy and Eileen Kaewprasert and Zachary Grossman. The job of the elected student council president and vice president will be to serve as the chief representative for the entire student body at WHS, plan fundraisers and plan events to bring the school closer together.

WSPN interviewed candidates Caulfield, Murphy and Kaewprasert to hear what each duo plans to bring to WHS.

Who is running for president and who is running for vice president?

Kaewprasert: I, [Kaewprasert], am running for president and [Grossman] is running for vice president.

Murphy: I, Murphy, am running for student council president with Warner as my vice president.

Caulfield: I, [Caulfield], am running for president with DiCarlo [as] my vice president.

Why are you running for student council?

Kaewprasert: I want to make the next school year as fun and exciting as possible. I also want it to be less stressful, since a lot of people, including myself, have been very stressed out about college, school and sports. I feel that school can be more than a place to learn and get good grades for college.

Murphy: I want to run because it is one of the best positions [that will allow me] to give back to [the WHS] community. Our work on the student council will directly affect everyone in the school. [Through my experience on student council], I have witnessed how [WHS] runs and I would like to take on that position.

Caulfield: I am running because I’ve been on student council since freshman year, so I’ve seen how it’s [been] run before, during and after COVID-19 protocols. I’m really qualified to take on the role as president [because of] my other leadership experiences. Also, I [have] genuinely enjoy being on student council, which is why I’ve been on it for the past three years. I [feel] like I’m ready to take on this role and that my past experiences have really prepared me.

What changes do you hope to bring to WHS?

Kaewprasert: I hope to bring new and improved school events. For example, a friend of mine said that he would [prefer] the events on Spirit Day [to be] more self-directed. I hope to actually make this [possible] so that Spirit Day [is] more enjoyable for everyone.

Murphy: I hope to be able to raise school spirit and have people excited to go to WHS. By having an eventful and exciting Winter Week and Spirit Week, I think many [people will be more excited to come to school].

Caulfield: The main thing I [want is more] transparency between student council and the student body. I think this has to do with COVID-19 too, but there hasn’t been a lot of direct communication. I want to plan events that the students want to see and that they’re going to get excited for. The main things [we will focus on] are transparency, planning events and trying to represent the entirety of the student body. We want to make sure that everyone in the school has a voice and is being represented.

What qualities do you have that would make you a good candidate?

Kaewprasert: I am organized [and] make quick and effective decisions. I am [also] a good leader [and] can manage my time wisely.

Murphy: I think [Warner] and I are both hard-working and charismatic, which allows us to hear the ideas of people across the school and [then] follow through with [creating] plans.

Caulfield: I think my leadership experience is one [quality]. I have held a lot of leadership positions over the course of high school and I think that [has] helped to really prepare me for this role. Also, I’m a good communicator. I enjoy being transparent with others and making sure that everyone’s voice is being represented.

What experience do you have that would make you a good candidate?

Kaewprasert: My family owns a restaurant that I help manage five to six days a week. I [work in] customer service, pack orders, [manage] tables, [fill out] supply checks and [do] a little bit of cooking.

Murphy: [Warner] and I have tons of student government experience. [One or both of us have been a part of] student council, [the class of 2023] executive board and the Regional Student Advisory Council. We both understand what is needed to have an incredible year, so we’ll be able to hit the ground running when the time [to takeover as president and vice president] comes [around].

Why did you choose to work with your partner?

Kaewprasert: I chose [Grossman] as my vice president because I feel that the [two of] us work well together. [As a result], we will be able to bring a lot of change and new ideas to the table.

Murphy: [Warner] and I have been friends since childhood. We have worked well together in school and at our church. I think the other candidates lack a strong friendship that [is necessary] to keep a cohesive government.

Caulfield: I chose to work with [DiCarlo] because we balance each other out in many ways. We both have different strengths [that will] benefit us in the long run. I have a lot of prior knowledge of how student council functions. I’m really organized with planning, [being] open and [being] a good communicator with the rest of the student body. [DiCarlo] is really great at putting [plans] into motion. He has so many great ideas and he’s a really good communicator as well, maybe even a little better than me. We both push each other to be better in certain areas [and] I think that running with someone that brings out a different side [of you] forces you to improve in different aspects.

If you are elected, what ideas and changes would you want to implement?

Kaewprasert: I would want to [make Spirit Day more self-directed]. I would also like to make Winter Week more fun and have more events throughout the day. [This way], teachers [will] have more than one [activity] to sign their classes up for.

Murphy: My goals this year include having lots of after-school activities, [having] as much school participation [as possible] and raising money for a school dance. The events [we plan to hold] would be sports tournaments, trivia nights and other competitions.

Additional comments:

Kaewprasert: Vote for [Kaewprasert] and [Grossman] for more fun.

Caulfield: The campaign has been really fun to [manage] and all of the other candidates are really great too. It has been a really great experience getting to run a campaign.