Note: Some of the following responses have been edited slightly for grammar and clarity.

The Candidates:

President: Madeline David, Akshaya Ravi, Sam Shipman

Vice president: Varsha Ashokraja, Connor Federico-Grome, Jia Kumar, 

Secretary: CJ Anderson, Brandon Leshowitz

Treasurer: Claire Eckelkamp

The Questions:

First of all, what's your campaign platform?

How do you plan to win this election?

What are your priorities for our senior year?

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

Do you have a final message for the class of 2023?

A Statement from the Incumbent President, Madeline David

I am running for class president again this year because I care about this class, and would like to keep working together in uplifting this school community. If I am reelected as president, I would continue to make it my goal to listen to everyone, while at the same time taking firm action as I have done this year while welcoming freshmen and their parents to the school, meeting with Natick representatives at Town Hall, and attending the upcoming transfer of flags ceremony. I would use the class’s input to continue planning more class events such as an upcoming ice cream truck, homecoming, and a Red Sox game, along with prom and senior week. I would not only continue to raise money for these events through food fundraisers, but also get us involved in helping out in the Natick community. My hope for us all is that we can be led by a president who truly cares for every person within this class of 2023, and someday reminisce on the fun times we had together.

It would be an honor to carry out this mission and continue being the link between the student body and administration while serving as president.

I the class decides to choose one of our other amazing candidates, that’s okay too; we will be in great hands no matter what. I may not know every single person in the class, but I do hope that if there’s one thing that people take away from my candidacy, it’s that I'm here to help out! Vote with confidence; vote with care; vote for Mads.

Akshaya Ravi

Candidate for President

First of all, what's your campaign platform?

The biggest thing on everyone’s mind is having a great senior prom, and that starts with fundraising. I plan on bringing food trucks like Ben and Jerry’s to raise money, as well as to have a fall carnival fundraiser. Aside from fundraising, I also want to put on a great prom and hold a homecoming for the first time. Above all, I want to be super open to suggestions, be really transparent about what’s going on with class officers, and create open times or suggestion boxes for people to voice their ideas in. #1 campaign takeaway: let’s have an awesome senior year!

How do you plan to win this election?

Reach as many people as possible by bringing together all of their ideas. A lot of people feel frustrated because they don’t have a lot of say on their high school experience, and by giving them that voice I hope to bring our class together for a strong election and senior year.

What are your priorities for our senior year?

We’ve all had a rough sophomore and junior year, considering how COVID really impacted all of our lives, especially socially. Senior year is a time that people look back on for their entire lives, and I want to make sure that it’s one that we are proud of. To me, that means making positive changes by amplifying student voice and it means showing that when it mattered most, we could come together as a class for great events like a prom or graduation.

What sets you apart from the other candidates? 

I am the most qualified candidate and the one who is just driven to get things done. As board member of the speech and debate team for 2 years, the founder of the HOSA club, VP of the math team, and a member of PAC, I know how to get things done at this school and how to put on successful events. The reason for that all is because I’m super motivated. I have run for class officer year after year bc I genuinely care. I think school should be a fun, welcoming place, but I also recognize that it’s not for a lot of people. I want to reach out to everyone, no matter how many friends they have, so we can all have fun.

Do you have a message for the class of 2023?

We all want a rockin senior year - so let’s make it happen. Don’t be shy-ya, vote Akshaya!

Sam Shipman

Candidate for President

First of all, what's your campaign platform?

My campaign platform is basically making sure that I help the voices of every student be heard and that as a class we have engaging fundraisers, so we can have a fun exciting prom. Each student in our grade and in our school's voice is important and they should have a way to submit their ideas and gain real feedback from not just me, but other class officers. This way we can assure that everyone in the class of 2023 can live out their senior year the best way possible, as well as make the school a better place for the grades to come. 

How do you plan to win this election?

I plan to win the election by trying to be a voice for our entire student body as well as be gracious and kind to all my peers. if I win I hope to incorporate aspects and ideas from all the people I’ve built relationships with over the past three years.

What are your priorities for our senior year?

Right now I feel a big red flag is prom, considering how many people this year are already upset about the 90 dollar ticket. They don’t realize how much money is put into the event and how nice the venue it’s being held at is- right now we are quite under budget and we need to raise money so we can have a great venue, great food, and great festivities at the event itself.

This of course requires a lot of money which we need to raise in innovative ways- I’ve been talking to friends about several types of events we can hold, here are some of the ideas:

• beach bonfire

• dodgeball tournament 

• an event where donations make teachers do certain things (like shaving their head or something) 

• food trucks for some lunches 

• school wide assassin game which can have a small entry fee and a fairly decent prize 

• a winter ball/dance  

These are just ideas from a small group of people—with input from the entire class or 2023 we would have many more ideas to work with.

Another focus for senior year is having a foolproof way students can talk to their class officers and gain real feedback so they felt heard, and with these requests from students we can find ways to better our community and also prepare our legacy as the senior class by creating innovative ways to make things even better for future students.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

I think the only thing that sets me apart from other candidates is how i’m able to get along with most of the people I meet in my life- I usually genuinely enjoy every person I meet unless they’re out right being offensive or rude, however I think other candidates are qualified for the job but I can assure anyone who votes for me that I will do the best I can to represent our entire student body.

Varsha Ashokraja

Candidate for Vice President

First of all, what's your campaign platform?

My campaign platform connects with my core values, and if I were to be elected, I would ensure that every student’s voice is heard. I believe that voices are a very powerful tool, we as students can use it to initiate change as well as representing our true and authentic selves. I want to have discussions to hear what matters to them most. Putting our heads together, we can change fundraising styles and bring more unique fundraisers that students want to participate in. Not only are we working together in unity, we will make everyone feel represented and included along the way.

How do you plan to win this election?

It’s going to be 3-fold.

1. Posters, they are already up around the school. 

2. In-person, I love connecting with students and hearing their voices and ideas.

3. Social media, currently working an innovative way to reach many. 

I am working with a friend to execute more ideas and “strategies.” If you have any thoughts or ideas, I would love to hear them. 

All in all, I am being authentic and that’s what matters, it’s my biggest strategy.

What are your priorities for our senior year?

I would like to do more innovative, fun fundraisers that can fund social events such as prom or a senior year dance, catching up for the 2 years of social distancing. As I mentioned before, student voice is another one of my priorities. And by combining the two, we can get fundraisers that the students chose to do and a more connected and unified class.

What sets you apart from the other candidates? 

I am a do-er, and I do from my heart. As VP, working alongside the president, I have the power and opportunity to do more for students and raise school spirits, funds, and community. We can execute more together.

Do you have a message for the class of 2023?

The sky is not the limit, if we work together, we can reach the galaxy and beyond. Work hard and be your true authentic self and we will go places.

Connor Federico-Grome

Candidate for Vice President

First of all, what's your campaign platform?

Mainly to promote accessibility: I intend to continue advocating for more resources for LGBTQ students, namely increasing the amount of gender neutral bathrooms. I hope to expand the mental health services at school, possibly implementing a drop-in counselor that doesn’t require making an appointment for students who need someone to talk to. Should this already be available, it is my intention to promote these services and make them more accessible to students. It’s also important to me that there is a stronger dialogue between students and faculty. I would love to organize what I suppose you could call a “town hall” meeting between frustrated students and the administration, to hopefully keep us students in the loop. This obviously along with fundraising, school events, prom etc. 

How do you plan to win this election?

Authenticity and experience. I refuse to go up on that stage and give a speech that reads like “you should vote for me because XYZ” because that can feel inauthentic. I hope only to convey the new found respect I have for the roles of class officers, with the experience of having that role taken from me. I took it for granted, I refuse to let that happen again. The only way to win this election is to use my experience with setbacks to show my resilient spirit. And isn’t resilience the key to good leadership? 

What are your priorities for our senior year?

Fun events and a good prom. While some of the other things on my agenda are more personally important, I realize this is a priority for many students who just want to have a fun senior year. I hope to utilize the summer to set solid plans in place for events occurring at least every 6-8 weeks. We deserve a fun senior year and I hope to help deliver that.

What sets you apart from the other candidates? 

I believe what makes me stand out from other candidates is my tenacity. If I am elected, I intend to do to the best of my abilities whatever is asked of me by our class. I’m ready for the obstacles, the setbacks, and the next steps to come if I ever fail or disappoint the class. It’s important to me that we actually do the work.

Do you have a message for the class of 2023?

Only that I hope each and every student will make the most informed option for officers, whether that be me or not. Also, if you have any questions for me, shoot me an email at cofederico-grome@students.natickps.org!

Jia Kumar

Candidate for Vice President

First of all, what's your campaign platform?

I will increase fundraising through class events in order to raise money for prom. I plan to increase student voice through a forum. I will send out surveys frequently checking in on our class, and create a suggestion box for students to voice concerns to NHS faculty. I would also like to address sexism at Natick High School, and I will start with gym classes. I am one of two women in my Team Sports class, and I have dealt with a lot of sexism. I plan to implement gender-bias training in gym classes to encourage more women to feel more comfortable to take whatever class they want to. Although gym class is a small part of our lives, gender-bias training will help lessen microaggressions towards women in all aspects of Natick High School life.

How do you plan to win this election?

I have hung up effective posters around NHS. I have also made a video featuring many of my classmates: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lUXZaVMYKZV-0CkpyFlHsLJiT0LvijMf/view?usp=sharing.

What are your priorities for our senior year?

I am prioritizing reducing the cost of prom tickets through fundraising and class events. Some of my ideas include class hikes, field day activities, sunset picnics, and possibly a fall dance. I would also like to hold sports events, such as spikeball (whether it be students against one another, students in other classes, or even teachers). I will also incentivise class dues. I am hoping to raffle off visitor lot parking passes to those who have paid, and spotlighting a different classmate every week who has paid their dues.

What sets you apart from the other candidates? 

From YouTube to musical chairs, I am pretty well-known amongst the people. I have raised $1,400 for non-profits through selling masks and bracelets, and I could raise even more for our class. I hold the title of President of FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America). I am the Event Coordinator of the Equity Co-op, which really demonstrates my commitment to improving NHS.

Do you have a message for the class of 2023?

My experience, confidence, dedication, and ideas make me the right choice for VP. I never gave up in musical chairs, and I will never give up on you.

CJ Anderson

Candidate for Secretary

First of all, what's your campaign platform?

My platform revolves around fulfilling student desires and ensuring that our class has a senior year filled with fun activities and events. I’m a huge supporter of student advocacy and student representation, and one thing I’ve noticed over these past three years is the lack of student voice in important school matters. Considering that our class has had an abnormal high school experience, I think it’s essential that our senior year is the year that we can collectively make the things that we envision actually happen, and that’s what I hope to strive and push for.

How do you plan to win this election?

I plan to be as transparent and honest as possible during my speech and my campaign. I think that being clear about my goals will go a long way.

What are your priorities for our senior year?

I think that we as a class deserve to have a rewarding senior year from all of the hard work we have put in these past three years, and for this to happen, I would prioritize organizing events and activities with the insight of us all through polls and forms. There’s a lot of fun events planned for our senior year like prom and graduation, and in order for everyone to enjoy it, we need the proper leadership and organization.

What sets you apart from the other candidates? 

I’m extremely dedicated and committed in anything that I’m involved in. If I were to be elected, I would be very committed to representing the student body.

Do you have a message for the class of 2023?

All of us have worked extremely hard these past three years, despite the crazy circumstances. Under my leadership, our hard work will be celebrated and we will finish our last year of high school off strong!

Brandon Leshowitz

Candidate for Secretary

First of all, what's your campaign platform?

I’m qualified for the job because I am organized, experienced, and able to work well with others. I also want to be someone that can listen to other people’s ideas, and make them a reality.

How do you plan to win this election?

There’s nothing I can do to guarantee a win, but I’m doing what I can by putting up posters, promising to fix problems in the school such as the water fountain situation, and delivering a well thought out speech when it’s time to do that.

What are your priorities for our senior year?

My main priority is making this year a positive experience for everyone. I also plan to make sure that prom is affordable and something that everyone will enjoy.

What sets you apart from the other candidates? 

What sets me apart from the other candidates is that I’ve had experience as class secretary during the middle of the pandemic. During that time, it was much harder to organize events, but we were able to pull through.

Do you have a message for the class of 2023?

I would like you guys to know that if you elect me, senior year will be the best year of high school you’ll ever have.

A Statement from the Incumbent Treasurer, Claire Eckelkamp

I would love to involve our class more with the community. As seniors, it is important to me that we have and amazing prom and senior picnic and end the year in the best way possible. I have had an amazing time as the treasurer these past three years and I will continue to fundraise and help improve our school!