The freshman class voted for class officers Thursday at lunch after congregating in the gym over the course of the week to hear speeches delivered by the aspiring council candidates.

A total of 23 candidates vied for the five offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Spirit Coordinator. Candidates have been campaigning since last week and preparing enthusiastically for a chance to convince their peers to vote for them.

The President’s main job is to lead the class and speak to students at class meetings but will also assist with raising class spirit. With the assistance of the Vice President, the Secretary will organize activities and take charge of managing all communications. The Spirit Coordinator will interact with the class directly and will focus on garnering class spirit to help unify students. Similarly, the treasurer will encourage the class to participate in fundraisers and manage the class money.

Candidates campaigning for all five offices employed a variety of techniques in their speeches, including references to pop culture and the use of social media, namely Facebook, in order to grab the attention of voters. Students already have an idea of what qualities they envision in an effective leader, and they include open-mindedness and cooperation in the list. Some freshmen also hope that their leaders will not be elected solely because of their popularity.

“Someone said in one of their speeches that it’s a popularity contest. I don’t think that’s true. I think some people will vote for their friends, but there’s a middle group, there’s the undecideds, that you can reach with your speech,” said Class Dean of 2017 Jeffrey Draper.

As one of the undecideds, Neymika Jain (9) declares that she hopes her peers will vote based on merit, stating that she wants a candidate “who is smart and someone who will not win by a popularity contest.”

Other students reveal that they look for receptive candidates who possess teamwork skills.

“I would want someone who’s willing to listen to other people’s ideas and who would work well with the teachers and the other student councils for the different grades,” said Andrew Rule (9).

Students began considering candidates last week after aspiring officers taped posters around campus and put notifications online. Social media was a popular platform through which candidates created pages and profile pictures that supported their campaign. Both Haley Tran and Eddie Shiang (9) created Facebook accounts for the sole purpose of enhancing and raising awareness of their campaigns.

During their speeches, candidates used other diverse methods to engage their audiences. Anika Jain (9) made a reference to the popular tune “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus, describing how she will derail all difficulties.

“If there are any problems I will come in and crush them like a wrecking ball,” she said.

In her bid for Spirit Coordinator, Haley Tran (9) said that “Change is the spice we need in life,” promising to bring spirit to the daily routine of student life if the freshmen elect her.

Sandip Nirmel (9), one of the presidential candidates, used an eagle as a prop and said that he “wanted to make sure there was humor and hard core facts” in his speech.

According to Draper, candidates learned of the election results Friday afternoon, and the rest of school will be informed at the Monday meeting.