On November 3rd 2022, Yonkers High School held its annual Student Council elections. Since the election results were announced on November 6th, The Bulldog Post has interviewed those in the positions of co-presidents, secretary, treasurer, and senators. Senior writer Chelsea Flores has interviewed senior senator Hanna Hattar.
Chelsea Flores (CF):
What do you plan on doing now that you have been elected?
Hanna Hattar (HH):
Okay. So now that I’ve been elected, it's my senior year, I know the school very well and I know my grade really well. So, I know what they would want for the school to improve. I've heard multiple times that they would like to see changes in the school. I will hear their requests, vocalize them at meetings, and raise awareness for what the students want. I can't achieve everything, but I could definitely try my best. I have good communication skills and can easily show these ideas to my team and try my best to make them happen because it's my last year.
CF:
Do you have some examples of how you’re trying to improve the school? For example, some of the problems that you've heard from fellow classmates and such?
HH:
Yes. In the morning during the winter, it can get really cold. I see people standing outside, even people who can be sick. I feel so bad for them because it should be easy just to let them inside in the arena rather than make them wait outside. So, that will definitely be one of the first things I will address. Another thing can be… you know how some people say this school is so hard on academics and there's not much else? People leave at the end of the day and don't have anything after school to do. Perhaps, many people don't wanna stay here? For some, the school is more of a place of dread than a place of happiness. I think a high school experience should not be remembered that way. We should be happy here.
CF:
So your focus is to make a happier environment? Do you mean a less strict school?
HH:
Yes, but I want to show that we are not an academics-only school. To have a balance between academics and community fun is essential. We have a great academic selection like the IB program, but we are also a very loving, caring, and welcoming community of learners.
CF:
Essentially, are you aware of the good and bad qualities of the school?
HH:
Yes.
CF:
What is your vision for the school?
HH:
My vision for the school is to not focus on academics because I think we’re five stars in that domain. I want to show the connectedness and the wellbeing of the school. I want to show what the greater student population wants. I want to work with the other senators and form an alliance and ensure that all grades that they all have someone to talk to about issues. People in my grade shouldn't be afraid to talk to me. I am willing to vocalize anything they need.
CF:
Okay. Next, what motivated you to become an elected official?
HH:
Sure. So, since I was a freshman, I always loved being a leader and being that voice for my friends in any situation. So when it came to elections, I just took a risk by running and I ended up winning junior year and I loved it. I loved being a public voice because I communicated well with others. So I enjoyed my job last year, and did everything I could for the grade. So when it came to senior year, I knew I wanted to have that job again.
CF:
Just to clarify, how long have you been on the student council?
HH:
For two years.
CF:
What advice do you have for people interested in running for student council with the experience you have?
HH:
Before you choose to run, I think you need to decide what you want to do with your position to better the school, because you can't do it on a whim . Plus, you must have actual ideas and plans for this school before you choose to run. And if you decide to run, really campaign and try your best to come up with reasons why people should vote for you. It is serious and a lot of the issues I saw with elections in the past is that they were a popularity contest, which in some cases was true. And I just want to tell anyone who feels like this might happen to them: Don't let that be a reason to stop you from running. You should still be able to say, “Hey, at least I tried.”
CF:
I want to emphasize something you already have stated. Your goal as senator is to listen to and support other students. This is seen through things like having a safe space to go after school and get students in the arena during the morning. So, how will you go about achieving that?
HH:
So, first of all, I want to talk to the other senators. I would like to message them, especially the new presidents. I would then say “Okay, we need to organize a meeting.” We need to meet in Mr. Foley's room after school on Thursdays and present new ideas in every meeting. Someone presents something new, and we all listen. You can't just simply claim something. You have to have the reason behind it and say something like “The students did really dislike this” and give good reasoning. And if they like it and they support it, Mr. Foley gives us the okay, and we then go to the principal. So there’s levels to everything we do.
CF:
Have you already started preparing for the meetings?
HH:
Yes. We've already had our first meeting, and it was basically used to introduce us to the new members of the student council. I was meeting with my new partner [Amiyah Torres, the other senior senator], and we presented our ideas to the group. Next meeting we are going to analyze them further and decide which one we would like to take on.
CF:
Is there anything else you wanna say? Anything else you want to put out there?
HH:
Honestly, for me, I really do love this job, and I think being a part of the student council is a great thing. Anybody who chooses to participate in student council is a person that is a part of a movement to better the school community as a whole. So, anybody who plans on running, I salute you because this job is not easy. Getting things approved is a whole process, and there are a lot of legalities involved. So I really congratulate anybody who chooses to do student council. Thank you for the interview.
Credits:
Chelsea Flores - Interviewer
Dani Gazard, Adrian Vazquez, Vivian Li, Joey Zhang, Sofia Fernandez - Editors
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