Competition of The Class of 2026

This year, 18 candidates are competing for the various roles in student government. Many candidates already frequent the politics of high school, participating in government meetings and attending fundraisers. Attending government meetings, held Monday from 2:30 to 3:00 and Thursday from 2:30 to 3:30, is—arguably—one of the most important aspects of supporting your class. No matter their previous support and attendance, each candidate has their own variety of thoughts, intentions, and goals for their class regarding the improvement of our class, making this ballot incredibly thrilling. However spirited the sophomores are already, there is always room for improvement.  

The current sophomore government consists of Charles Morris as president, Ben Almon as vice president, Mirranda Sessler as treasurer, Marie King as secretary, and Maddie Clark, Bobby Pace, and Will Ayers as the senators. This year, they have hosted around five fundraisers for their class, raising money for events such as Prom. They have all done an excellent job increasing the attendance of the Sophomore class at their meetings this year. Unfortunately, Will and Maddie are not rerunning, leaving two senate spots open for new candidates. With 18 candidates running for various positions, a total of 11 candidates will not be elected into student government; however, we hope to see similar meeting attendance, especially from current candidates, regardless of the election results. Per every election, voters should watch for frauds, those only running for office in order to expand their transcript.

This year, Charles Morris and Mikayla Mulkigian will fight for Charles’ current title. Charles’ success freshman year led to an unopposed run sophomore year, leaving him confident and assured. Charles says the ultimate goal of fundraising “has always been to raise money that will go towards Senior Prom and the senior class trip,” and despite two years of any potential contemplation, this has not changed. Although this effort still perseveres, Charles has become invested in increasing class participation in “both student council and fundraisers.” According to him, this goal is blossoming into a great success, an example of this involvement is the the number of candidates running this year. With poise, Charles uses his “experience and achievements” to qualify for an additional year of presidency. He says that “with [him] as president, the class has met all of [its] quotas,” succeeding thoroughly. 

He has generously allowed the release of his ideal cabinet, which voters may take into consideration when the time comes. With him as president, Jackson Silber shall be vice president, Mirranda Sessler as treasurer, and Bobby Pace and Jessica Melick as senators. Secretary and a third senator has yet to be decided. In his words, “What is a government without its people?!”

Mikayla, or Miss New Hampshire, shines not through political experience but through community service, as she raised a considerable amount of money to go to various charities and medical research. She has not run for any student government roles but says she has, “helped organize many fundraisers with [the] student government,” in an attempt to do what she can as a part of the student body. Upon questioning, Mikayla says her ideal cabinet is the “decision [of] the voters.”  If elected, her goals for the class will involve “government meetings over the summer,” in hopes of “com[ing] up with different organizations our class [can] help.” Other fundraisers could potentially include “car washes, different sports tournaments for all grades, bake sales and more.” 

This year, Ben Almon is running against Jackson Silber, Garrett White, and Ava Horne. Ben Almon has been vice for all two years, and within that time, he has stated that his goals have evolved. Last year, his goal “was to focus on fundraising and making enough money.” However, this has evolved into “incorporating student wants in order to get that participation” that is necessary. Upon being asked how he would execute his goals, Ben said he would, “continue to spread word about our meetings while also telling others about new ideas that others are presenting.” 

Jackson, Charles’ endorsed vice president candidate, similarly, would like to get our class “more involved with fundraisers” because of how beneficial they are. He also notes that he would like “people in our class to feel that their voices are heard” which is something he feels could be improved upon. His strategy would involve the use of the Instagram account and various other platforms to “get the message about fundraisers out more … help[ing with] attendance.” Alternatively, Jackson would like to hang more flyers around the school.

Ava Horne, a respected individual amongst her teachers and peers, has touched on the events that fundraisers will lead to, such as Prom. She would like to focus on “mak[ing] events like Winter Carnival and Prom super fun” in addition to “try[ing] to help organize fundraisers that will allow” that to happen. Ava recognizes that all candidates are “qualified” but believes she should be elected vice president due to her teachers and peers attesting to her “wonderful leadership skills” and “communication skills.” Ava enjoys the company of her peers and “would never put anyone down.”

Unfortunately, Garrett was not able to participate in the interview process. Regardless, every vice president candidate has shown promise, to every extent. 

Senate, with similar competition, has three spots and six candidates, Bobby Pace, Lilah Smalley, Ethan Tremblay, Emily Houde, Jessica Melick, and Madeline Rodger. Bobby Pace is the only rerunning senator this year. Bobby, also endorsed by Charles, believes “we have a good base” for fundraising thanks to the last two years, but would “love to focus more on providing larger events for our class to attend and enjoy.” Some events Bobby brought up were “dances, activity nights, or something else completely.” His methods for these goals incorporate the inclusion of school administration to ensure events work for not only students, but the school as well. Bobby believes that “continuing smaller fundraisers [successfully will] make these larger events the best they could be. His found “value of communication and perseverance” allow him to work through events despite any bump in the road, because “adapt[ing] to those types of situations has been a huge part of the job.”

Lilah has a unique strategy of pursuing her goals. She believes that getting “more of the grade involved and informed on what we are doing” can help to “organize more events.” Because of her leadership skills within Softball, Lilah feels that she can execute this role well, given her experience in leadership in sports. Her unique perspective involves gaining “teachers as resources,” using them to potentially “share the word” regarding meetings and benefits.

Ethan, an “involved” student, plays tennis, hockey, and is a member of the jazz band. He admitted throughout the interview that he has never “been to [a senate meeting], but has plans to fix this. His motivating drive appears to be “get[ting] more involved in our grade” because he “know[s he] can make a difference … and make our grade good.” In Ethan’s eyes, communication of fundraisers and government meetings has not been sufficient because “we only have a few [whole class] meetings a year [and] people are likely to forget” about the Monday and Thursday meetings. His campaign focuses deeply on further communication, because he, too, has forgotten about the student government meetings.

Emily, a consistent student who has run every year, is “involved in the Senate program” and “understands how it works.” She strongly believes the class of 2026 must become more spirited to reach its goals. For example, she would like to generate “more excitement about Winter Carnival in the weeks leading up to it” even though “our class has great energy at the pep rally.” Furthermore, she would like to bring our class together to form a tighter community by “unit[ing] over a common goal … through Winter Carnival, Blue Hawk Cup, or a pep rally.”

Jessica, endorsed by Charles, wants her main goal is to be “connect[ing with] our class to allow money-making methods easier to accomplish,” which would be achieved through “communicating with our whole class.” She believes she is one of the best-fit candidates because she has “had 2 years to not be involved in the government and [she] would like to use that experience to help create a fundraiser.” Although brief, Jessica has shown confidence in herself and her goals.

The last candidate for one of three senate spots is Madeline Rodger. Madeline has frequented involvement byrunning the Instagram account and attending meetings. After having lost the election for secretary her freshman year, Madeline became “a bit discouraged” the following year. Now, after recurring participation, she has realized “at the end of the day if you have an official role or not, you can still be … involved.” She is confident that regardless of whether she wins, she “would hope to … participate the same amount [if not] more.” Madeline’s community involvement is abundant, and her previous work with the Instagram is notable.  

Mirranda, this years participating, successful treasuer, is faced with the competition of the campaigns of Alex Dobbins and Nicole Melick. Mirranda, endorsed by Charles, went into this year with her “only goal [being] to raise a good amount of money for Prom.” However, she says she noticed “we needed to raise our class morale” first. She notes that the government and its alumni has the right intentions; it is “the enthusiasm [we are] lacking” making her new goal “to gain the class spirit we can see from upperclassman.” To come up with a fundraiser with the government, she understands she must do more than “hope … something will work”, making time for “planning and approving and finalizing and polishing over all the details and bumps and everything in between.” She understands “the two most important years of high school are before us, with Prom and senior trips.” Her two years of experience as treasurer make her the most qualified candidate, according to her.

Alex, similarly, claims to have experience qualifying him for treasurer as well. His landscaping business allows him to deal with money constantly, granted he must “track all the finances and make decisions” regarding the matter. He says he is a “good listener, take[s] feedback, and most importantly, help[s] make change.” Alex’s intentions were, notably, “whatever the class wants.” His communication will help to “determine a plan to reach the goals of the class” while his entrepreneurship will assist with the “terms of the need for funding.”

Nicole, the third treasurer candidate, would like not only “to take control of our classes finances and assist in making financially smart decisions” but also to “make the government more welcoming to have more students’ input.” She states she was not involved in the government during freshman year, resonating her with the majority of the class who does not attend meetings or fundraisers. With this, she believes “personal connection” could solve the government’s attendance crisis. Nicole touches on a “higher social media presence” as well. As far as  qualifications, she states she is “very good at math,” and has participated in “jobs … that work with money.” Additionally, she attends many of the Monday and Thursday meetings to get comfortable with community of the political atmosphere. A few ideas Nicole mentioned was a “cafe in the morning (not on the days special education does it),” and “regular bake sales in the cafeteria.” 

Now, Phoebe Christenson and Marie King will battle for Marie’s current position as secretary. Marie, a seemingly enthusiastic member of the student government, takes pride in her position. She states she is “committed to [her] job” and that she “loves [her] role in the team and … [is] happy to say that [she] feels confident in what … [the government] has accomplished this year.” Marie would like to “continue on and keep being the best class secretary as possible!” One of her original ideas is being set into motion and “in action … nearly set in stone.” A goal she shares with other candidates revolves around an increased use of social media for promotions and communication. This has been a goal of her throughout her time as secretary. This could be used to obtain “opinions from everyone so they can be heard” as well. A “steady calendar” with “plan[ned] dates for fundraisers as soon as possible” could also be incredibly beneficial to the busy population. Not only this, but she would like to moderate “more fairness in our spirit weeks such as Winter Carnival.” Cheating has been a problem in the past, and Marie believes “deducting points when a grade cheats or misbehaves during these events” may have an impact on eliminating shadiness.

Phoebe, another candidate oriented by the use of social media, says she “currently maintains multiple social media accounts” for sports recruiting. This experience could come in handy, as she plans to “play a more active role on social media and ensure representation for the entire 2026 class … moving beyond 20-30 students.” Phoebe stresses the importance of “fostering excitement rather than feeling apprehension about attending … meetings or events.” Her commitment to “keeping everyone informed about activities, fundraisers, and meetings” is emphasized.

In the end, every candidate brings something new and exciting to the table. You can already tell, based on common initiatives, that increasing the use of social media is in the works as well as many different solutions to the government’s current attendance crisis. Although this has improved, there is more to be done. The ballot this year reveals a reliable variety of candidates from every corner of the student body. Not only is it your responsibility to vote as a member of the student body, but it is also your responsibility to remember that your actions—then, now, and in the future—will determine the success of our Junior Prom and Winter Carnival, among other events. Attending meetings and fundraisers is crucial to the success of your class. We are undefeated in Tug of War, lets maintain that sense of spirit in as many aspects as we can!