Bearing News asked Student Council officer candidates four questions about their goals if elected and their motivation, allowing voters to make informed decisions when voting on April 15.

President

Ronni Farid 
BN: Why are you running for President?
RF: I am running for Student Council Council President because I enjoy being a leader and someone my peers can look up to and depend on.
BN: Why is Student Council an important part of RBHS?
RF: Stuco is so important to RBHS because we are not only representatives for out classmates but are responsible for so many interactive activities, such as Golden Cow and Mud Volleyball, that benefit our students and people of the community.
BN: What is one improvement you would like to make to RBHS?
RF: I would love to help  students build up the “hype” for RBHS again, especially with our very successful and exciting sports.
BN: What is the biggest problem you believe RBHS will face in the next year and how would you solve it?
RF: The biggest struggle RBHS will face next year is rebuilding our tight knit community again after our seniors leave and our new freshman come in, my brother will be a freshman, oh goodness. However I know once we build these relationships our school will be closer than ever. I plan to bring us to together by either planning a movie night or a lock in which will give us the opportunity to learn new faces and make new friends.
Kelly McDonald
BN: Why are you running for President?
KM: I am running for president because I want to be someone who is very accessible to others, and have others ask me any questions they have. I really love helping out and being involved, and I think it’s a great opportunity to try something new and make RBHS a better place.

BN: Why is Student Council an important part of RBHS?
KM: Student council is a huge part of Rock Bridge because of all the events we hold and how involved everyone is in Stuco. Student Council at RBHS makes our school substantially more unique than others because of all the responsibly and influence that we have. It makes us be able to get a good experience of the real world in high school also.
BN: What is one improvement you would like to make to RBHS?
KM: An improvement that I would like to make is making things work more smoothly; we want to get more people involved, but we say that every year. I want to make the dances better, with having more people come and having better decorations and going all out. I also want to try to get RBHS back to how it was with some improvements with being able to have some sort of bake sales or other snacks and such, and bring a positive environment to RBHS.  Also I want to reward the seniors somehow, even though having an hour lunch is not an option I want to give back to the seniors.

BN: What is the biggest problem you believe RBHS will face in the next year and how would you solve it?
KM: The biggest problem I am going to face next year is having people disagree with the decisions we make as a whole student council and having to explain why it is the best choice for everyone and not just a specific group of people. I want to make everyone happy, but sometimes that won’t be able to happen, and I will embrace the fact that people won’t always be happy with our decisions.
 

Vice President

Riley Cranford
BN: Why are you running for Vice President?
RC: I am running Because I really want to get more people involved at Rock bridge. Recently I have seen a big decline in student involvement and I don’t like that.
BN: Why is Student Council an important part of RBHS?
RC: Stuco really does plan and effect rock bridge a lot. We plan most school wide events and are a big part of the fundraising for senior class activities.

BN: What is one improvement you would like to make to RBHS?
RC: I would like to greatly increase student involvement in assemblies, school dances, spirit weeks, sporting events and every other RBHS activity.

BN: What is the biggest problem you believe RBHS will face in the next year and how would you solve it?
RC: I think one issue RBHS may face next year is adjusting to no Bruin Block and trying to have positive attitudes about that. I think if I was chosen we could make sure that all the teachers and people on student council had good attitudes and didn’t talk bad about the changes because that negativity really does make a big difference in the school atmosphere.
Kelly Wilkerson
BN: Why are you running for Vice President?
KW: I am running for Vice President because I would like to be a large part of the Student Council and would like to voice the students’ opinions. I believe that the Vice President will need patience, unique ideas and passion for the school, which I believe I contain all of these aspects.
BN: Why is Student Council an important part of RBHS?
KW: The Student Council helps host multiple events, which allow the students to continue to enjoy and allow my fellow classmates to be excited about the year. We create the events that the school looks forward to, whether it is an assembly or the Homecoming dance.
BN: What is one improvement you would like to make to RBHS?
KW: Next year, I would like to encompass more students’ interests and get more people involved in the events. There should be more events with more diversity to allow more people to appreciate RBHS and the things it has to offer.
BN: What is the biggest problem RBHS will face in the next year and how would you solve it?
KW: No one can be certain which the biggest problem next year will be, but I would have to think it would pertain to one of the dances and preparation and events leading up to it. I would address the situation calmly and would like to bring in fellow Student Council members in order to address the problem and conduct a solution as soon as possible. While allowing others to address a small part with guidance and help from the officers, I believe the problem can be solved and become better than planned.

Treasurer

Quinn Miller
BN: Why are you running for treasurer?
QM: I’m running for treasurer because I want to be an active leader in helping RBHS be a better place for students.

BN: Why is Student Council an important part of RBHS?
QM: Stuco does a lot of the work behind the scenes. For example Stuco plans most of the assemblies, all the dances and several other events throughout the year.

BN: What is one improvement you would like to make to RBHS?
QM: I think one thing I would like to change is make the dances more fun and specifically I want to try and make homecoming a Sadie Hawkins dance where girls ask the guys because the homecoming Queen candidates already have to ask guys to be their escort so why not change it up a bit and have all girls ask guys.
BN: What is the biggest problem RBHS will face in the next year and how would you solve it?
QM: I think one problem we will face is a lack of participation of students opinions and I think we could fix that by having students offer solutions and vote on them on the school website.

Secretary

Maddi Albrecht
BN: Why are you running for secretary?
MA: I have wanted to be a leader in Stuco ever since I joined sophomore year. Secretary is a great position for me because I get to voice my opinion and ideas into all decisions although I’m not completely in charge and to me that is a good balance between the two. Also secretary is more people and social orientated and I’m great with interacting with all individuals and I also enjoy it.

BN: Why is Student Council an important part of RBHS?
MA: Stuco is so important because we organize and decide everything for all the dances, assemblies, clubs. These activities are what gets the students at RBHS involved and that’s most important.
BN: What is one improvement you would like to make to RBHS?
MA: I would improve how we get students involved. Getting everyone excited about certain events whether it be sports games or dances the students are what make it fun. Involvement can determine how the entire year will go.

BN: What is the biggest problem RBHS will face in the next year and how would you solve it?
MA: Stuco faces the problem of finding the balance of hard  work and having fun. I’ve been on Stuco  in previous years where it’s either one or the other. We need to realize when we put in the hard work into a dance or assembly then we can get out of it what we put into it and that way everybody can enjoy it. Yes, there will be times when we get to set up everything for the students at RBHS and not be able to watch the assembly, or whatever, but those times are worth it because our job is also to put others before us.

Brendan Fish
BN: Why are you running for secretary?
BF: Being in a leadership position, especially at RBHS, requires dedication and hard work.  I have always strived to attain these qualities in being a leader for others, and hope that I can challenge my leadership skills as a Stuco Officer, and can utilize my experience to help make a difference.
BN: Why is Student Council an important part of RBHS?
BF: Many don’t realize it, but Student Council is responsible for and is the source of all the major school-wide events that students are encouraged to participate in.  We organize and plan events like Homecoming, Courtwarming, assemblies, Golden Cow, and many more.  Without Stuco, we would lack the traditional events that make up high school and would lack a team of student leaders volunteering to make a difference.
BN: What is one improvement you would like to make to RBHS?
BF: I have always admired the cultural diversity at RBHS and the school’s wide acceptance for this.  However, I would like to improve the acceptance of all students, as many times RBHS seems to be in a struggle for popularity. No school is without problems, but a school that accepts everyone as “popular” and treats each individual equally is the ideal to strive for.
BN: What is the biggest problem RBHS will face in the next year and how would you solve it?
BF: RBHS may struggle with student involvement and school spirit next year, as it has to some extent this year.  I plan to utilize all methods including social media, announcements, posters, word of mouth, and others to try and include all students, in an effort of creating school-wide events that serve as components of an overall positive experience, for every individual at RBHS.
Hannah Pohl 
BN: Why are you running for secretary?
HP:I’m running for secretary because I like helping the school. Last year as just a representative on Stuco I put a lot of time in for school wide events and really enjoyed it. Putting in my time to better the school is worth it and enjoyable for me, and I’m organized and I like to think I’m well fit for the job.
BN: Why is Student Council an important part of RBHS?
HP: To me Stuco is a huge part of the school. We are a representative for what our class wants changed or improved at RBHS, so it’s important that we do a good job, as 10 people, to voice the opinions of an entire class.

BN: What is one improvement you would like to make to RBHS?
HP: There aren’t that many improvements that RBHS needs, because it’s such a haven for student opinions anyways. The only thing that I would like to improve is students’ enthusiasm towards the school and getting everyone involved in Student Council activities and school wide events.

BN: What is the biggest problem RBHS will face in the next year and how would you solve it?
HP: Along the lines of the previous question, I believe that we need to try and better the feeling of a community in the school. The problem we will face is getting everyone from every “group” of the school to participate and be excited about things happening within the school. As for me solving the problem, I already attend a lot of sporting events and other school activities so I would try and lead by example, if chosen, by going to events and getting people excited about their experience at RBHS.
Photos and interviews by Abby Kempf (feature photo by Cassi Viox)