Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS SHE?

Follow her on Instagram!

Favourite Subject/Course: SAP, Law or History

Favourite TV show: Black Mirror!

Activities: Prefects, Student Voice, Noteworthy Play :), Save the Animals, GSA

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. Inclusion
2. Freedom of speech
3. Respect

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

I think one thing that makes me different is that I’ve experienced enough or been around enough vastly different people that I really do try to see both sides of the story. I think I’ve grown past the whole impulsive thing and labeling people automatically just because we don’t agree on something. I’ve realized that never helps and it’s better to have constructive conversation to find compromise; which I think will help me in working with other student council members as well as hearing out students and their input.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership? What is your overarching purpose as a leader?

“As a leader I hope that when I go to student council meetings I represent everybody in the school. It’s easy to think about what you and your friends would want, but people in other grades and friend groups deserve to have their voices heard. Leaders are people who listen to what other people want and make decisions based on what the majority.”

What initiatives would you undertake to make the student council information more accessible?

“A lot of people were not really into the pep rally this year and this school has a reputation of being really academic based. I think that if it was more promoted in home rooms and teachers were more into school spirit, students would be more into it. When grade 9s come into the school, it should be enforced that this is a school community and even a family. Updating social media platforms more frequently is also a great way to get people more involved in the school. This year, it was wasn’t really updated passed October. Also, I think that the social media platforms should be more entertaining and interactive with polls and videos.”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“One thing that I really noticed was that a lot of the kids don’t feel welcome, especially grade 9s and kids that came from other countries. I hope that, especially in my year, a lot of the kids feel closer and that the school is a safer place. It shouldn’t just be a place where you get in and get out. It’s a place where there’s a community and there are people that care about you. I want to make the school more comforting and fun essentially.”

Why did you rate inclusion as your number one value?

“A lot of kids don’t really feel that they’re included. They sit by themselves in the hallways, don’t get invited to parties. I’m not here to force people to be friends, but I just wish that people would talk to each other more. Especially with grade 9s, when they come in I want them to be comfortable. I hope that kids don’t come in seeing high school as a scary place.”

Why did you rate freedom of speech as your second most important value?

“Something I’ve learned in the past years is that you’re not always going to agree with everybody and that is something that happens a lot when in a leadership position. People will disagree on some things, but the important thing is that people don’t fight with one another over disagreements. It is more helpful to have a conversation on why you don’t agree to reach a compromise instead. At the end of the day, people may never agree on something, but it is important for people to understand each other.”

Why did you rate respect as your second most important value?

“Over the years, I realized that a lot of kids don’t know how to be civil and respect each other. I think it is important to respect each other’s’ boundaries with jokes, physical contact, and others. Being respectful of one another is really important to having a safe school environment.”

Why should students vote for you over all of the other candidates?

“I really want to make sure I listen to everybody. Something that is different about me is that I am super positive all the time, which I think for most people would probably get a bit annoying but for me it means that I don’t give up very easily because I feel that there is some way to turn it around. I am also really opinionated, and if I don’t agree with something I won’t shut up about it. Some people may stay quiet, but that is not me.”

You have the chance to say anything to the student body. What is it?

“I’d like to say I’m not here just to represent my group of friends, I want to hear what everybody wants from this school. Especially the younger grades who may feel that they are not really listened to, that they are at the bottom of the food chain. I really want to make this school a more fun, inclusive place where everybody is respected.”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS HE?

Favourite Subject/Course: Sciences

Favourite movie, book or TV show: Game of Thrones

Best quality or skill: Leadership

Activities: Soccer Team, Rugby Team, DECA

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. A fun environment
2. Communication
3. School community

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

The student body should have more of a voice/opinion when it comes to decisions within the school.

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

What distinguishes me from others is a positive attitude and a unique outlook on accomplishing tasks. Being able to think outside of the box allows me to bring on change and challenge the status quo.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“In one year from today, I hope I would have helped to create a more inclusive school community. I personally think that students are not given as much a say in things as they should be. In a year, I hope students and speak up and express their wants and needs”

Why did you rate a fun environment as your number one value?

“I rated fun environment first because if school is not a fun place to be, you would not be looking forwards to coming to school everyday, which is obviously not a good thing. I want to make everyone be heard and to give their ideas. If that is implicated into student council, the school environment would be much more fun.”

Why did you rate communication as your second most important value?

“With communication, if we let students be heard, that will result in a fun environment since everyone would be able to express their wants and wishes to have a better time at school. I feel like school should be a support group. If you are going through something, you should be able to go to your peers and teachers for help.”

Can you share some examples of when you were a catalyst who brought groups with polarized opinions together so that all voices were at the table?

“For many of my school projects, we will get assigned into groups you didn’t necessarily want. I will act as a mediator and leader and tie everyone together, making sure everyone is doing something they want to do. The resulting product will be better this way.”

Why should students vote for you over all of the other candidates?

“Students should vote for because I feel I can best represent their wants and needs. I feel like I am well connected with the school, so I know what students want. This would result in a better school environment.”  

You have the chance to say anything to the student body. What is it?

“I will be your voice. I will make sure your ideas and wants are heard through the school and hopefully improve events and make your ideas a reality.”

Why do you think you should be the representative of your grade? What experience or skills do you have that will allow to deeply understand the mindset and values of your grade?

“I feel as though I am fit for this role because I have many branches that go out to different friend groups, so I have a diverse knowledge of what different cultures, ethnicities, so I have a good feeling of what each and every person would want. If I don’t, I would be open to hearing their opinion to implement it into the school.”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS HE?

Follow him on Instagram!

Favourite Subject/Course: Math

Favourite movie, book or TV show: How I met your mother

Activities: Soccer Team, Part of the cast of “Noteworthy”, teach Sunday School at Church, have taught HTML and CSS in the past to elderly people, serve food after Sunday Mass service.

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. Freedom of speech
2. School spirit
3. A fun environment

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

Sometimes it is hard to keep oneself open minded when not all the input is heard. In order to effectively help everyone, I like to talk to a variety of students on whatever topic needs to be discussed. Whether through social media, or face to face. That way I can ensure everyone is heard.

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

The difference between me and any other candidate is that I specifically applied to this position for a concrete reason. I am not trying to use this to achieve acceptance in university, or to compete against my friends. I aspire for others to attend a school that has a strong sense of community, unity, and school spirit. Next year will be a stepping stone towards that. I want my legacy within this school to help others live four memorable years at FHCI. So that when it is mentioned, it will be known for its events and excitement of a true high school experience.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership? What is your overarching purpose as a leader?

“My definition of leadership is not so much as being a boss, as if someone who gets others to do work for them. Instead, I think of a leader as someone who does the work alongside other people. A leader is also someone who knows who to address other people in order to achieve a desired goal in which everyone contributes. A successful leader is someone who knows how to place people in successful situations. My purpose as a leader in school would be to a find a sweet spot where people’s problems are addressed as well as the school’s problems. For example, lack of school is a problem that has been going on for years now. I think that to really address that as a leader would be to talk to other people and help them out because that is what a leader does. I trust other people to voice their opinions so we can achieve a desirable goals. My goal as a leader is to address the needs of others without bias. I want everyone to feel safe and heard.”

What, if anything, are you going to do to improve school spirit?

“There are many events in the school that have been publicized, and have been emphasized, but not in the right way. For example, the Halloween dance was not a huge success because of the how the event was advertised. I think the events haven’t been built up properly. To get students excited about events, I would organize some smaller events to get people more excited about it. For example, semi formal, I remember that before and after Fo Chella, there were little dances in the foyer and that event was a huge success. Even after Fo Chella, more students were playing music in the hallways and having a good time, showing that students have school spirit. This lasted for about 2 weeks, and this a thing that needs to be improved upon. The spirit is there, we just have to bring it out using exciting, well advertised events. Also, we need to address different minority groups. There are many cultures in Forest Hill that are not being addressed completely correctly, and if Forest Hill students would really get involved and join together as one community it would help bring the school up.”

What was your favourite event this year, and why?

“My favourite school event this was the semi formal, because it was an event that hadn’t gone on for many years. It wasn’t delivered and marketed perfectly, but the event itself was really fun. The attendance wasn’t amazing, but it was really nice to see students walk into the venue dressed up fancy and having fun, dancing. I could see that other students were getting really into it. I also felt a sense of unity within the school, the students 9 – 12 and different ethnic groups, popularity groups, they were all joining together as one and having a fun time.”

What was your least favourite event this year, and why?

“The Halloween dance was my least favourite because it was not well organized and was brought up out of the blue.”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“I would like make Forest Hill have a better sense of community. The lack of school spirit has gone on for years. Though I have not been on student council or a prefect, I have been quite active in the school community and have gotten feedback from many different groups. I would like to have helped shape a school that has events that bring people together instead of separating people and for everyone to have a sense of community because we are all one group of people, the students of Forest hill.”

You said that you value freedom of speech the most, why is that? In addition, how will you implement these values next year?

“Freedom of speech is something that is valued not only in high school, but also in all communities. When it comes to freedom of speech in a school, it is something that has to be emphasized most because students need to have their voices heard. This does not need necessarily need to resemble a work place environment, where people come, work, punch in, and punch out. Freedom of speech is something that is really important because if students can have their voices heard through student council, it can make the school environment feel more safe and inclusive.”

Explain why you value school spirit. 

“The lack of school spirit has been going on for years. It’s obviously something that needs to be addressed so students can have a better high school experience. For my first few years at Forest Hill, there were events that were going on but people were not so excited about them. This might be because the advertising done was not that effective. I think that school spirit can be improved through student council, as it should be a working ground for students in the future. If student council has a lot of school spirit, then the students will know that this is something that should be embodied. If we can address this problem effectively, it will slowly but surely improve.”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS SHE?

Favourite Subject/Course: Science

Favourite movie, book or TV show: The Office

Activities: Cookies For a Cure, Jewish Culture Club, Kumon Mathematics

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. School Community
2. Courage
3. Inclusion

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

One thing that amazes me about our school is the level of diversity and inclusion. I will represent the diversity of next year’s grade 10 class by giving them a platform to share their thoughts. I will use polls and homeroom visits to gain perspective on the opinions of my peers.

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

I think that the students of Forest Hill want more fun initiatives and opportunities to make a difference.

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

What sets me apart from other candidates is my previous experience on a Student Council. At my middle school, I served as EcoSchools rep and held an executive position on the council. I enjoyed leading new initiatives that engaged the student body and faculty and made a positive impact in the school community. I think that my positive attitude sets me apart. I love connecting with other people and I believe that my friendly personality sets me apart.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership? What is your overarching purpose as a leader?

“My definition of leadership is everyone coming together and giving their ideas to one person or a bigger party and then that person reflecting everyone’s ideas to better the school.”

What, if anything, are you going to do to improve school spirit?

“So I think that the biggest problem facing school spirit is people not being aware of the events before they happen and not having enough time to get ready. I would use social media and make additional posters and going class to class to make sure that everyone is aware and also to make sure that people are going to get excited knowing that other people are participating too.”

How will you ensure that you are accurately representing your grade?

“I’ll make sure that I’m accurately representing my grade by using Google forms and Instagram forms and also going class to class to make sure that everyone is onboard with how the school is heading and that everyone’s ideas are being hard. I’ll also try to make myself available at lunch hours to make sure that I am getting everyone’s ideas and to make sure that everyone is happy and feeling included and like their opinion matters.”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“In one year from today, I hope that I have done my part to bring the grade together and to separate the barriers between different groups and different social circles and make the grade more inclusive. I also want to make sure that everyone is motivated to have as much school spirit as they can and make sure that everyone is actually excited about all the amazing activities that Forest Hill has to offer and I want to inspire my peers to join clubs and take leadership roles within the school.”

Why did you rate inclusion as your top priority?

“I think one of the biggest problems facing Forest Hill is that within the first couple weeks of grade nine, you kind of find your group and you find the people who have similar values to you and you stick with them throughout the years and I think we should all try and branch out more and be friends with people who aren’t normally who we’d look for because I think that people are not having a chance to be friends with as many people as they can because of how they combine themselves. So I think that activities like grade 9 leadership day should continue in a way throughout the years at Forest Hill in that people are split up from people they normally spend their time with and they get to meet new people and even the people who don’t really have defined friend groups get to find who they want to surround themselves with.”

Why did you rate learning as your second priority?

“I think that at the end of the day, we come to school to learn and we come to school to better ourselves through education and although I really think that inclusion and school spirit and school community are very important, when it all comes down to it, we’re here to learn. I think that there should be some sort of motivation to do the best you can in your classes and I think that providing extra support for the peer tutoring group and all other programs like the math club and robotics club where you can really just have time to focus on what interests you is very important.”

Why did you rate a fun environment as your third priority?

“When I was in grade eight, I was the eco-school’s representative to the student council to the middle school. Basically what my job was is I would go to both student council meetings as an executive member and eco-school meetings as one of the club’s members and I would make sure that all of the activities corresponded and that the views of both clubs were considered. It was a difficult role because occasionally the student council would want to do something and they would not really consider the environmental impacts and eco-schools would do something and they wouldn’t consider how it would go on with kids with various ages. So, I worked to bring those groups together and I think I could apply that to my time at Forest Hill as a grade rep.”

Why should students vote for you over all of the other candidates?

“I think that my school spirit and passion for inclusiveness and learning sets me apart from all other candidates. I think that I am the right choice for this position because of my past experience on my student council when I was in middle school and I think that I have the social skills and the forward-thinking to drive this council to success and make this year as fun as it can be for everyone.”

Why do you think you should be the representative of your grade? What experience or skills do you have that will allow to deeply understand the mindset and values of your grade?

“I think that I should be the representative of my grade because I work well with others and I get along with people outside of my friend group and I find it very easy to connect with people. I think I’ll use my social platforms and possibly get the student council to make their own Instagram and use the poll feature and also make sure I am available at lunch hours so I can get the input of my fellow students and make sure that everyone’s voices are heard.”

You have the chance to say anything to the student body. What is it?

“‘You should believe in yourself and work as hard as you can in school and be nice to the people who you spend time with and just enjoy your time at Forest Hill and learn as much as you can.”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Ethan Blumberg 

WHO IS SHE?

Follow her on Instagram!

Favourite Subject/Course: Biology 

Favourite movie, book or TV show: The Office (obviously)

Best quality or skill: Always smiling!

Activities: Dance Fashion Show, Science Club, Cross Country, Tennis team, DECA, Sick Kids Foundation Club, Out of the Cold

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. Inclusion
2. Respect
3. School spirit

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

It is essential that every single student feels their voice is heard. I will try my hardest to listen to and support all of the students at Forest Hill because all ideas matter. I believe it is important that our school community recognizes how unique and inclusive Forest Hill is.

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

I am someone that will listen to all of your ideas with zero judgments. I want to be a Vice President all students can trust and will come to if they need advice. I am very personable and easy to talk to. Being personable is one of the most important qualities to have because students will be able to get my help and support whenever they need it.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership? What is your overarching purpose as a leader?

“Leadership to me is one of the most important things at Forest Hill. For example, many students come to Forest Hill not knowing anyone and not knowing where anything is and having someone that can show you the ways and show you where things are make your year and your school life easier is a big deal. Having someone that you can trust and talk to is really important and that’s why I’m running for this position: I want to make other students lives a lot easier and I want to make them feel like they have someone to talk to and someone who they can trust. I want to be that person that other students can come to to make their lives easier.”

What, if anything, are you going to do to improve school spirit?

“To improve school spirit, I think something really big that we could do is [focus on] spirit week. Spirit week this year was obviously amazing but there was still obviously not enough spirit. I think to make the way to make spirit even greater is to have competition or competition between the grades, I think that would be really cool. So if the grades each had a unique colour or they were with different people and different grades and there were different teams and we could all compete for maybe a free lunch or a day off of school, something that would make the kids want to try harder and encourage them to beat other people but also meet new people on their team. I think that would make a huge change. We could also do more fundraising and more stuff for charities, stuff like that.”

What could cause you to fail as the Vice-President?

“Obviously it’s really tough to be a Vice-President because there’s a lot of people counting on you and a lot of people listening to your ideas, but I think something that would be really hard is if the student council and I try so hard to make the school spirited and improve spirit week and improve school-wide events but the school community doesn’t follow through. If we, for example, add another semi-formal or add another dance ad people don’t want to come to it, like it happened last year, then this could be something that could really be detrimental.”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“In one year from today, I hope that I am a Vice-President that people can really trust and come to and talk to and feel like I’m someone who isn’t just their Vice-President, but their friend. Obviously a lot of people say this, but I do want this school to have a lot more school spirit and I know that I can do this because I’ve been a leader in this school, I’ve been a prefect, so I kind of know what this school has and I know what it wants and I think with this, I could work with the prefects and work with other clubs to make this school better and that’s something I hope to do: work with other clubs and other people. Something that’s also cool that I would like this school to have next year is a bigger variety of sports teams, so maybe not just a boy’s hockey team, but it would be really cool if there was a girl’s hockey team, if people would be down for that. I’m obviously going to think of more ideas as the time comes, but I think one of the biggest things is that people here feel like they have a voice and people around them that they can trust.”

Why did you rate inclusion as your number one value?

“Well I think the most important thing is to be included. The only way to really express yourself and feel like you’re wanted is if you are included. I know I’ve been friends with a ton of people who don’t feel included and I know how sad they are and how they feel when they aren’t included in something or involved in something and I want every student at Forest Hill to feel like they’re involved and they can do what they want to do and they can support what they want to support and just express themselves.”

Why did you rate respect as your second most important value?

“Respect I think is a huge one, not only with students, but with teachers as well. I’m always in classes and I see a lot of students talking and obviously I talk too sometimes but I think one of the biggest things is for students to respect teachers and for teachers to respect students; a mutual respect so people enjoy their year more.”

Why did you rate school spirit as your third most important value?

“School spirit is obviously a big one. I think school spirit would really make Forest Hill better, obviously. If we improved spirit week or we had more events or more dances or stuff like that, with school spirit, it will make the year go by a lot quicker and a lot smoother and people will enjoy their time here more.”

Many of the decisions in the student council won’t be consensus decisions. What or who will inform your decision making?

“Well obviously there are going to be some disagreements on ideas and I think in the past years, probably the president has been making the most decisions and maybe this year we could all even do a survey or a pool so it’s really fair. Looking at what’s best for the school would have a huge impact on my decision-making, like I would look at it like ‘some people want this and some people want this’ but this one may improve the school the most and this one may really significantly change the students’ life so I would choose the one that makes the most sense.”

Why should students vote for you over all of the other candidates?

“Before I came into this role, I knew a lot of students at school and I’ve heard a lot of students not complain but pretty much say that Forest Hill is an OK school and that was something that meant a lot to me. That word meant a lot to me. I don’t want Forest Hill to be an OK school; I want Forest Hill to be an amazing school where students feel they can express themselves and they feel welcomed and they don’t feel any isolation. So that’s why I ran for this position: I want to be a Vice-President that students feel could be their friend and I want to be someone that they can come talk to, come tell their stories to, come tell their problems to, ask questions, ask for help with work, anything that makes them feel like they have someone to talk to and have someone that they could trust.”

You have the chance to say anything to the student body. What is it?

“If I could say anything to the student body, I would probably offer a wider variety of sports teams. I know this is very broad but I’ve heard a lot of students say how some of the sports teams are very gender specific, so like the hockey team, there’s only a boys’ hockey team and I know that for tennis, it’s mixed, which a lot of people like, so maybe next year I would try to incorporate with them even a hockey team or field hockey team for girls so they feel the sport isn’t just one-sided at our school.”

Explain your view on events within the school and how they could be changed.

“So one of the first big things is assemblies and I know this year a lot has happened with the Holocaust assembly and I heard a lot of people complain about the prom assembly, [saying] how most of the time they felt victimized and I feel why waste time doing that when we can celebrate other parts in history and have assemblies on important days, like the Holocaust to recognize the people who all perished a long time ago, and we want other students to be educated about it. As well as pink day, we want people in the LGBTQ community to feel like they’re welcomed and like we all support them. Another thing I talked about was spirit day and I think that this year spirit day was amazing, however, a lot of students didn’t really have spirit and feel like there was that pressure or they didn’t feel like they had to dress up or had to have that spirit. So I think next year I would do something with teams hopefully and team up grades and have them have unique colours or team up with other students and all fight for a prize so they would feel more confident and more competitive.”

Let’s say a group of four eager and excited students approach you one day and ask you to create a new event. At the next Student Council meeting, you ask the seven other Student Council members what they think of the idea. They all say that they do not think that the idea should be implemented. If you had the final say, what would you do? Walk us through your thought process.

“If I went to a student council meeting and heard that seven of the student council members did not agree with this idea that the four students had, I would first ask them, obviously, why they don’t like the idea. I would understand what’s wrong with the idea and I would hopefully find a way to improve this idea. So I would first talk to the four eager students and tell them the changes that the student council would make and improve to their idea and if the student council members were up to working with and changing their ideas, and change their lookout on what their events will be like, then I would do this event.”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Ethan Blumberg 

WHO IS HE?

Follow him on Instagram!

Favourite Subject/Course: English 

Favourite movie, book or TV show: Die Hard

Best quality or skill: Leadership

Activities: a member of the Minister of Education’s Student Advisory Council, AA Baseball for North Toronto, Baseball Coach, Social Action Club, Video Games Club.

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. Communication
2. School community
3. School spirit

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

One idea is through short online surveys that can be an easy and effective way to canvas opinions and ideas. These surveys could potentially be accessed through the Golden Falcon. Another idea is to organize in person Q&A sessions whereby students can ask questions and provide input to council.

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

I come to the election with a lot of experience. I was the student council president at my former school. Also, I was recently appointed to a position on the Minister of Education’s Student Advisory Council, a group of students that works with the Minister of Education to provide student’s a voice in bettering the public school system in Ontario. As well, for 6 years, I have lead a community fundraiser that has raised over $18,000 for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership? What is your overarching purpose as a leader?

“Well, my campaign, first of all, is based on getting as many students involved [as possible], improving school spirit, and creating opportunities for junior students specifically to get involved. So, leadership is all about communication, cooperation, and teamwork. Getting many people involved into situations that they are not as comfortable in or are not used to is a win.”

What might cause you to fail as a vice president?

“Am I allowed to say nothing? Well, I’m supposed to be a liaison between the council and the junior student body, and if junior students aren’t willing to get involved, and they don’t share ideas or contribute, I guess that’s the only thing that could bring my campaign down. [But if I tried my best, I wouldn’t] necessarily [consider it a failure].”

What, if anything, are you going to do to improve school spirit?

“Well, I think it’s important for us to look at local and global issues in the campaigns that we run in, and I’m going to be trying to connect with the grade nine and grade ten representatives in planning fundraisers, spirit weeks, and campaigns. You’ll hear more about my initiatives in the speech, but I have a bunch of great ideas that I’m ready to share.”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“I hope to find a group of students that are passionate about getting involved, and passionate about making a difference in this school, because I find [that] this year, I haven’t really found a large group of people who are so [enthusiastic like that].”

What are the keys to translating your vision for Forest Hill’s future into action?

“Well, obviously just a positive attitude will get as many people involved as possible, but I’m thinking more social events, intramurals, clubs, and tournaments. I believe [that] a way to get more junior students involved is to have junior and senior representatives for clubs, because this year I applied to be the leader of the Social Action club, and they picked the senior students [instead] – the club’s not existing anymore. So, I think junior and senior perspective in clubs is going to lead to more success.”

Why did you decide to run for this position?

“Well, at my elementary school, I was student council president, so I come with a lot of experience and I generally enjoy getting involved and making an impact wherever I go. I have experience in my community, and I want to find a way to get involved in my new school.”

What makes you suitable for this position?

“I have a lot of experience. Once again, I was the student council president, and I’ve run a community fundraiser for seven years that has raised thousands of dollars for cancer research. I’ve [also] been playing in a baseball team for many years, and I know what it’s like to be part of a team and how to work with different people – and I enjoy new opportunities.

You said that you value communication the most, why is that? Can you expand on that?

“I think that all good leadership springs from communication. I want to be able to connect with and communicate strongly with as many junior students as I can, and I want to get to know the upcoming grade nine class, because if I don’t have a connection with them and don’t communicate well with them, I don’t think we can achieve anything.”

You said that you value community second, why is that? Can you expand on that?

“I came from a really small elementary school – very tight-knit group of people – and I was the student council president and helped achieve great things with the student body. I think that if I can build relationships with many junior students as possible, we can achieve amazing things.

You said that you value school spirit third, why is that? Can you expand on that?

“I wrote school spirit down as a thing that I think junior and senior students want to see more of, and I think it’s extremely important in building school community – they’re all connected. With the more school spirit we show, the more school community we will be able to create.”

Many of the decisions in the student council won’t be consensus decisions. What or who will inform your decision making?

“The general population of the junior students. I think, as part of my online application, one of my ideas to get everybody’s ideas heard was through online surveys, and I think we should take advantage of the technology that we have. Simple polls that people can fill out in five or less minutes are a quick and efficient way to get answers from people.”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS HE?

Follow him on Instagram!

Favourite Subject/Course: English

Favourite movie, book or TV show: Pulp Fiction

Best quality or skill: Staying Calm

Activities: DECA, cross-country, track, math club, basketball, soccer

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. A Fun Environment
2. School Spirit
3. School Community

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

I would ensure that the voices of all different people at FHCI are being heard by continuing to talk with and meet new people in my grade. I’m a very approachable person and would try to encourage people to come talk to me about their ideas.

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

A school with more spirit and a closer knit community.

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

What makes me different from other candidates is my approachability, reliability, and cooperation. I’ve always made an effort to put myself out there and meet new people everyday. This will allow me to reflect what all different people in the school want. Also, I am a reliable person. I can be counted on to attend every meeting that I am required at. In addition to all of this, I have been working with team members since I was very young in basketball and soccer. I know how to work with teammates and would be a valuable member to the council.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership? What is your overarching purpose as a leader?

“Well, a leader is someone that can talk to people, be looked up to by people, reflect people’s wants and needs, and stays confident and strong. Everyone looks up to them. Leadership – it’s a really important quality, obviously, for student council business like this, and not everyone has it. You need to stay strong and reflect people’s wants and needs. Let me add onto this: you need to be the top. You need to excel, and it’s hard to do.”

What, if anything, are you going to do to improve school spirit?

“Yeah, that’s definitely a big thing in the school, because it does improve everyone’s experience in the school. So, I am friends with a lot of people – I know a lot of people – and we’ve been trying these Semis, these things. People don’t seem to be into it. Personally, I think I could use my influence, because I have a lot of peers and friends, and I can try and talk to them and say [something] like, ‘this is our high school experience; we want to make it good and have a fun time doing it’ – just [by] [talking] to people. Some of the ways that we’re doing to promote these school spirit events are kind of corny, you know. We need something that appeals to everyone, [making them feel] like ‘you need to come to this, you can’t miss it’. Everyone wants to have a good high school experience and we want to make people feel like [they’re] missing out on this [event]. The way to make that happen is to get people’s friends to come, because if your friends aren’t going, [you might feel like], ‘my friends aren’t going, so I’m not going to go either’, right? So, how are we going to make people come? I think we can do that just by talking about it, staying true, and giving a good appeal.”

How will you ensure you are accurately understanding the mindset of your grade?

“I’m currently a member of sports teams, different clubs and stuff. The people that I have met in this school – I can talk to them. I can really reflect the ideas of tons of different people, and I consider myself an approachable person. I talk to lots of people, so I would encourage people to come talk to me if they want something done.”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“In one year from today, I hope to have really reflected the ideas of all the people in my grade. I know that a lot of the events we’re doing does not appeal to everyone, and I really hope to talk to people and say, ‘come to these events, we need school spirit if we want our high school experience to really be fun’. I hope that everyone, by the end of this year, will [become a bigger part] of the community of the school – everyone being closer together, doing things as a school. Currently, people do everything [by themselves] on weekends and stuff, and if we could something like Semis that everyone actually goes to, [they] would have a much better experience. I hope that from one year from today, the Semi that we just had [would] have way more people, and that’s what I hope for.”

You said that you value a fun environment the most, why is that? Can you expand on that?

“I think a fun environment is really important in school, because school is about learning and stuff, but if you feel comfortable and you’re having a good time, you’re going to excel in academics and in life. School takes up the majority of students’ days, and it needs to be a place where you look forward to going to, [that] you’re excited about, and [where] you have a good experience at. That happens through all these events, through anti-bullying, and all that type of stuff.”

You said that you value a school spirit second most, why is that? Can you expand on that?

“As I said earlier, school spirit is extremely important for high school experience, and I just hope to encourage people to take part in school things, and show them that they’ll have a way better time if they do.”

You said that you value a school community the third most, why is that? Can you expand on that?

“It’s everyone being closer together. There are some people in my grade that I’ve never even met before if I had not had a class with them. Just to have a chance to do something [would be good], rather than just sit in class with with people in your grade or in your school, because I don’t know a lot of people in this school.”

Can you share some examples of when you were a catalyst who brought groups with polarized opinions together so that all voices were at the table?

“One time, I was on my basketball team and we were in a tournament. There were a couple minutes left of a really close game, and we were arguing about whether we wanted to play a certain type of defense – zone or man-to-man – and talking about basketball specific things like the benefits of each one. I was one of the best players on the team, so it was my job to step up and bring everyone together during a time-out. I just stepped up and went, ‘okay guys, we have to decide this – we have to be together. We can’t have some people wanting this and some people wanting that, we have to be together on this one because it’s important. What are the good things about this one, and the bad things?’. We then decided on one, and we had a good experience. We ended up winning that game.”

Why should students vote for you over all of the other candidates?

“Students should vote for me, because I think I’m in a position where I know tons of people in the school, and I’m confident. I stepped up for this position because I want to do something about it, and I think I would be a great person to get things done and to give input. This is something I’m passionate about – school being a good high school experience. That’s many people’s lives, the best times in their lives. Like my dad: in high school, he had the best experience of his life. I want it to be the same like that for everyone here, so I want to do something about it. I will input ideas and work really hard on it.”

Do you have any specific initiatives you want to bring to the school?

“Not new things, but things to improve. We could definitely improve the Semis and stuff – how we promote them. A lot of the methods we use now are kinda corny. [We need] something that appeals to everybody and gets more people to come, because if more people come one year and they have a good time, then the next year they will keep coming and it will just make everyone’s experience way better.”

You have the chance to say anything to the student body. What is it?

“I think I would be a great decision for this part. I’m approachable – you can come talk to me whenever. If you pick me for this position, it’s like you picked all of [yourselves] for this position, because I’ll reflect exactly what the [student] body wants.”

Why do you think you should be the representative of your grade? What experiences or skills have you developed that allow you to understand the mindset and values of students in your grade?

“I think that I should be the representative of my grade, because I consider myself to be one of the most diverse in my grade. I do many different things – I’m on the sports teams so I have those types of friends, I’m in the math club so I have those types of friends, DECA [too]. I’m in many different parts of this school, and I think I would be really fit to represent anyone in this school.”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS SHE?

Favourite Subject/Course: History

Favourite movie, book or TV show: Saturday Night Live

Best quality or skill: Organization

Activities: School Rep for the International Women’s Day Summit, Hippo Day School Volunteer, TEMC Day Care And “Coffee Hour” Volunteer, TEMC Scripture Reader,Kensington Women’s Health Clinic Volunteer, OPS Careers Course Focus Group participant, and Boxing!

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. School Community
2. Courage
3. Inclusion

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

By representing the grade 12 class, I will ensure that my peers voices are heard by keeping an open dialogue and gathering students ideas to make our school a more inclusive environment. Our’s school’s diversity can be highlighted and supported by encouraging our students to bond with one another.

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

Work-life balance is the primary issue facing Forest Hill students, as our academic standards are extremely high, and causes great stress in classes.

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

I am super passionate about the well being of our student body. Forest Hill is known for preparing students for post-secondary programs, however, I believe that like anything- there should be a balance. The stress that students face today is overwhelming and difficult to to understand without the right support. Anybody who knows me, knows that I get things done as efficiently and as best as I possibly can. My main goal would be to use that skill set to ensure our grade 12 students have a great final year, where we can all bond and get the proper support as we enter the next chapter of our lives.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership? What is your overarching purpose as a leader?

“My definition of leadership would be first organization and having an outgoing personality. I think it’s really important to help engage others. I wouldn’t call them followers, but to engage your group or your team. I think when you do that you really create an effective and proficient environment for everyone to work together. In terms of my overarching purpose as a leader, it would be to really help your team and be a source of advice or knowledge when they need help, when they’re struggling, or even when they’re doing well, it’s just to check in and say ‘you know, what can I do to help?’. A leader is there to help, they are there to guide, and they are really just there to make a difference.”

What, if anything, are you going to do to improve school spirit?

“School spirit is something that is kind of lacking at the moment. Because I am going for the position of grade twelve rep, we are going to be the leaders of our school, so I think that the best way to gain school spirit is to have the grade twelves work together. We’re a really diverse bunch; but we are often sectioned off, so let’s bond and work together and create student-led activities that we can conduct on our younger grades. Even the grade elevens for next year, I think that that would be really effective, whether it’s just making a mural or creating cheers or showing up to school as group colours and just really showing a positive attitude. Maybe our pep-rally could even be a little bit more spirited and having us all really engage. As the grade twelve rep, really asking my fellow students what they would want to actually see at a pep rally because I don’t think that that’s really been done and I think that that would be really important to really get the seniors’ outlook on it and what they think our entire school would really appreciate and value.”

How will you ensure that you are accurately representing your grade?

“I will ensure that I am accurately representing my grade by having an open line of communication at all times with my peers. I think that that’s such a big part of actually being a leader and being a grade twelve rep is making sure that I am listening to my friends and to my fellow classmates on their ideas and their different ways to be as socially-conscious but also ways to make our school environment the best it can possibly be. So, by doing that I think that I could not only best represent my grade but also best represent the school and kind of say that the grade twelves are now the leaders of the school, as I said before, so let’s make sure that they are heard and that we’re doing a good job of being those kind of inspirations for those younger grades, in order to best lead and to best represent our school.”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“In one year from today, let’s hope I am the grade twelve rep and I would really like to be able to achieve more personally, academic success and being able to volunteer a lot more, which is something that I am really passionate about. I also want to help promote school spirit and our school’s diversity because diversity is something that Forest Hill is actually not lacking in, but where we fall is that we don’t do a good job of really highlighting our diverse groups. So, I think a great way of doing that is having us all bond, especially going into grade twelve, having our grades and our students bond together to really work hard at highlighting all that Forest Hill has to offer.”

Why did you rate school community as your number one value?

“I think that everyone has their own definition of community. For me, I grew up in a really tight community and that means a lot to me and I think community is above all really supportive of one another and super helpful. It’s about making connections with one another. I know we’re pretty young, but even networking and being able to really gain the proper support we need in any area or any stage we are currently in, in our lives. So, that’s really big for me.”

Why did you rate courage as your second most important value?

“Again, everyone has their own definition of courage. For me, courage is doing what you are most afraid of. It is, in a way, facing your fear and a lot of people in our school our super courageous and that’s amazing and I think that we should highlight that, really, and highlight these individuals and allow them to share their stories, to help others gain more courage to share their own stories or do things they are maybe a little bit afraid to do.”

Why did you rate inclusion as your third most important value?

“Inclusion is super important, that kind of has to go along with diversity. I think that while Forest Hill is especially inclusive, which is great, we have to do a better job at getting to know one another and really including each other. If you see someone in the hallway, just making sure they have a friend to sit with is really important because I feel like we’ve all been in those particular situations and it’s the worst and so being friendly and being open and open-minded, while remaining respectful of one another, because we all come from different backgrounds, so let’s try and really include that in every area of our high school lives.”

Can you share some examples of when you were a catalyst who brought groups with polarized opinions together so that all voices were at the table?

“My family is a great example. My family can be kind of politically divided. Where I come from, I was raised more liberal, or in the U.S. it would be democratic, and my mom’s side of the family is primarily republican and we had a family reunion and it can get really messy. I was lucky enough to be with my sister to help us all remain civil and make sure that each opinion is at least validated. All opinions are valid and making sure that we all can really listen to one another and have open dialogue about these important issues.”

Why should students vote for you over all of the other candidates?

“I think that something students should know is that I am extremely determined and I am pretty stubborn, which can actually work in my favour. I get things done, especially if it’s for the greater good. I really believe in listening to everyone and listening to everyone’s opinions. I also have a lot of experience with volunteering and being a good role model or representative. I have a lot of little cousins in my life that I have to be a good role model for. I think that I can really do a great job and be really effective in making our final year together, because the grade twelves are almost done high school and we’re kind of going off, but really making us bond and actually having a memorable year that includes a better work-life balance because I know how stressed-out students can get.”  

You have the chance to say anything to the student body. What is it?

“I would say: vote for me, please! But really, if you’re going to do anything, please vote for the person that you think is most effective and who will actually get things done to ensure a great experience for our coming year and who will be great at representing you. Especially to the grade twelve students: what I want to do is I want to be able to help everyone and I want to be able to ensure that we’re not as stressed out and we’re really getting  better work-life balance, that’s super important, and that we’re also having fun and making memories.”

Do you have any initiatives in mind to improve the work-life balance that you want to share?

“Absolutely. So, work-life balance is huge anywhere. Everyone has issues with it. I think a big thing is actually getting support because with work-life balance, comes stress and bad time management, that’s huge. Let’s do a better job of, whether it’s working together, even as a student-body or with our teachers, or even with our guidance counsellors, to create small workshops or presentations to really help us gain a better understanding of what a work-life balance is. It’s also having fun, that’s so important and so prevalent. We are going to be grade twelves, so we should kind of have fun, this is kind of our last year of being able to be kids. So, let’s actually gain a better understanding of what that means and how to cope.”

Why do you think you should be the representative of your grade? What experience or skills do you have that will allow to deeply understand the mindset and values of your grade?

“I think that I should be representing my grade because I honestly see both the good and the bad in our school. I came here when I was in grade ten from a really bad high school environment. So I was able to really open my eyes to all the good that this school as to offer and it’s amazing. However, like anything, there is also bad or the not so good. Forest Hill is really lucky, but what I want to address as our grade twelve rep specifically is finding a better work-life balance because as great and high-achieving as our student-body is, we also need to be more knowledgeable about what is important and our priorities in life. It should be both: work and play.

Any final comments you want to share with the voters?
“I would say that I really just want to do my best for our grade and for our student-body to work together to become close and to bond and to have fun but to also work really hard and gain support as we come into our final year. We are a really hard-working school and that’s incredible but we also want to be able to really have memories of times we spent together. It’s about building those opportunities for us to be leaders and for us to have fun.”  

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS HE?

Add his as a friend on Facebook!

Favourite Subject/Course: Science

Favourite movie, book or TV show: Life of Pi, The Giver

Activities: Robotics Team

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. Inclusion
2. A fun environment
3. Respect

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

I will listen to the people around the school and try to talk to them, see what they want, what they don’t like and what they love about FHCI. I will do my best on organizing the school and communicating with students.

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

I had some ideas and i have the feeling of doing something as my position. And i thing i am different from anyone else because I am carious about how student council and would like to find out myself.

If you were to be elected tomorrow, what is the first thing you would change?

If possible, I want to make people feel entertaining about leaning. I want students including me enjoy every single course and do good on those course.

Is there anything else you think students should know about your campaign?

I wasn’t taking it very seriously but I do care about it.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership? What is your overarching purpose as a leader?

“[My definition of a leader] is someone who leads, has control, knows exactly what to do to make [others] [reach] their goals, and has a good relationship with the whole [student council]. [I want to be a leader] to develop my skills, make events better, [as well as] school spirit and class environments.”

What, if anything, are you going to do to improve school spirit?

“I have ideas about making twelfth graders and the people in the lower grades come together. We can make events where students [in the higher grades] will help students [in the lower grades]. We can [also] make leadership events [happen] more often, to promote teamwork.”

What was your favourite event this year, and why?

“My favourite event is the leadership event that I had gone to when I first came to the school – grade nine leadership day. I feel like it’s very fun, and you learn stuff. It’s totally different from any other [events].”

What was your least favourite event this year, and why?

“My least favourite is the pep rally. When you have people in there that you know [taking part in the activities] you get hyped, but most of the time [students] are just sitting there and [watching]. I think we should do group [activities] – something that involves everybody, so that nobody feels left out. We can separate groups by grade, and [have] each grade’s representatives do competitions.”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“I hope I will have achieved a good leadership skill, a good relation skill, and [that] I will know exactly how the school works.”

You said that you value school spirit the most, why is that? In addition, how will you implement these values next year?

“I chose school spirit because I feel like people in this school don’t really help each other a lot [if they do not know each other]. I think the way that we can make it better is that we can do some events that include lower grade people [working] with higher grade people, and we should do more school events that involve everybody so [nobody] feels left out in the events. [An experience I had was] one time in language class, [when] we were doing some kind of a play. Everybody had a differing opinion, and we kind of [wanted] a leader to [help] make decisions. So, we were choosing a leader, and I volunteered myself because I just wanted to get it done. I listened to everybody’s opinions, added in my opinion, and then we made our opinions better, and eventually it became one.”

You ranked a fun environment very low on your chart, how would you make this event better?

“Some of the classes are boring, like the students are just remembering stuff, not really knowing what they are learning. So, if they [actually do] feel interested in the course, they may truly know what [they are learning] and understand its meaning, and maybe want to know more about it.”

Why should students vote for you over all the other candidates?

“I think I have the skill to make the events [good]. Well, I don’t [think I am the best candidate], but I just have the feeling [that] I can do it, and I want to do it.”

It’s September. You have to decide on which events are going to take place. Next year, there are two dances taking place. You can either have the two dances in the same semester (two months apart) or in different semesters (six months apart). How would you decide? Walk us through your thought process.

“I think I would spread them out. Two dances [in the same semester] can work, but it would leave the rest of the school year with with no dances. So, I feel like spreading them out would be better, or making more dance events.”

You have the chance to say anything to the student body. What is it?

“‘Walk together. [Have] teamwork’. In my classes, some students were not being very respectful to teachers, so I [want to tell them] to respect the teachers.”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS HE?

Follow him on Instagram!

Favourite Subject/Course: English or Economics

Activities: Indoor Soccer, Investment Club

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. Inclusion
2. A fun environment
3. Respect

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

As social media manager, anyone can approach me at any time and I would be comfortable with discussing any concerns and issues and seeking out a solution to the problem. At the same time, I also plan on establishing an anonymous opinion box that students can use to voice their concerns.

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

As Secretary and Social Media Manager, I believe that I can be very effective. In my position, I would like to establish a larger and stronger social media presence that is more interactive with students. In addition, as the liaison between the student body and the student council, I would work with other council members to convey ideas to the student body and vice versa. Additionally, although bullying and harassment isn’t much of a problem at FHCI, I would like to start an anti-bullying campaign that would reach out to students and hopefully spread a positive vibe.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership? What is your overarching purpose as a leader?

“I believe a leader is someone who goes above and beyond, and wants to do the best for not only the community, but [also] for everyone around him. I believe in my position –  I can be a leader through acting as a liaison between the student body and the student council, in a way [where] I can communicate with the student council, give their ideas to the student body, and vice versa. Just acting as a leader through my position.”

What initiatives would you undertake to make the student council information more accessible?

“More clarity, basically. If the student council makes a decision, the people who should hear about it first is the student body, because we’re making the decisions for [them]. In terms of initiatives – setting up social media pages to get them informed and involved in certain issues, and that sort of thing [would work].”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“Basically, one year from today, I would like to increase the clarity between the student body and student council – keep the student body informed of any decisions that the student council makes, and at the same time let the student body know about any upcoming school events they need to know about. I also know that in this school, bullying isn’t that big of a problem, but I would like to establish an anti-bullying page to help anyone who’s been going through any problems, or to help them along the way, basically.”

Why did you rate a fun environment as your number one value?

“Basically, I think a fun environment is the most important thing in the school, because if you don’t have an environment in which you want to come to or work in, then I don’t think you’d feel comfortable doing your best. I think that in terms of what’s really important to students, a fun environment would definitely be a thing that’s up there.”

Why did you rate communication as your second most important value?

“As I expanded on before, I think that what students really want is clarity, and to able to be informed on decisions, events, and that sort of thing.”

Why did you rate inclusion as your second most important value?

“In terms of inclusion, I think that everyone wants to be included in certain events.”

You rated the Semi-Formal event and the number of dances on the lower end of events in terms of quality. Why?

“I think that it didn’t have a very big effect on the students, in terms of people who wanted to go. I heard a lot of complaints about going to Semi-Formal – how it was established, how it was run… I think that the idea was really good, but there are a couple changes that can be made to make sure it’s more of a success this year. The number of dances was not really my concern, but a lot of people that I heard from were really concerned about the number of dances in this school. So, I know that there aren’t that many dances – I don’t personally go to that many, to be honest – but that was one of the concerns from other students.”

Why should students vote for you over all of the other candidates?

“Well, I believe that I have a couple of initiatives that make me stand out [compared to] the other candidates. Obviously, I don’t want to talk down [about] any of the candidates, but I want to offer more clarity between the student council and the student body, and I’ll be able to do that through social media – Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, whatever. The other thing is… I know that it isn’t a big issue in this school, but bullying always seems to be present in a high school environment, so I want to establish an anti-bullying campaign to help out anyone who’s been in trouble or could potentially could be in trouble in the future.”

You have the chance to say anything to the student body. What is it?

“I want them to think that I’m going to work hard to provide clarity, like I said before. To let them be informed on certain decisions made by student council, and events that are coming up. I think that one of the problems in high school is that a lot of things are going on, and what [the student body] really wants to know is what’s going on in a certain point in time. Basically, I think that social media reps and secretaries in the past have done a good job, but I hope to expand on that progress, as I’ve said multiple times now, to provide that clarity and openness. Hopefully they’ll vote for me on May 11th!”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Ethan Blumberg 

WHO IS HE?

Follow him on Instagram!

Favourite Subject/Course: Science/Math

Favourite movie, book or TV show: Harry Potter

Best quality or skill: Leadership

Activities: Newcomers Club, Reading Buddy

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. Freedom of speech
2. Humour
3. Respect

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership and what would your overarching purpose as a leader be?

“My definition of a leader is someone who works as a team and is not bossy. You don’t tell people what to do; you help them do it.”

What, if anything, would you do to change school spirit?

“I would ask the students on their opinions of the school spirit and their thoughts towards it.”

Do you think school spirit is an issue?

“No, I do not think it is an issue.”

Do you think that students think school spirit is an issue?

“I don’t think that they think it is an issue.”

If students approached you and said that school spirit was an issue, would you do anything about it?

“Sure, I would try to make them think that school spirit is cool.”

Do you think school spirit is important or not important?

“It is important.”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“I want to talk to many students around the school and gain their opinions. I want to make to make some changes and present to the student council. I want to listen to what students want changed. I will try to talk to student council and make those changes. Let’s say I am the only person who wants to increase the speed of the internet and there are other people on student council who wants to change the computers in the library because they are so slow. This would mean only one person wants to do that but other people want to change the computers, so I would present to the student council about the computers and we would talk about it and maybe we change it, maybe we don’t.”

Why did you rate honesty as one of your top values?

“If I am trying to be honest with you, I want the same from you and because of that, I want honesty.”

Why did you rate respect as one of your top values?

“Respect is important because when I talk to you, I look in your eyes, but if you look around I feel like you don’t respect me, which means we can’t talk in a civilized way.”

Why did you rate freedom of speech as one of your top values?

“It is important because I would like you to hear my speech.”

Many of the decisions in Student Council won’t be consensus decisions. What or who will inform your decision making?

“The student-body. I would talk to students and take their opinion and I would make a decision with their opinions and in the end, I would add my opinion to it.”

Why should students vote for you over all of the other candidates?

“Because I am Yagiz! Their speeches may be better than mine but I just want to be a part of student council because I want to be different than other people.”

Let’s say a group of four eager and excited students approach you one day and ask you to create a new event. At the next Student Council meeting, you ask the seven other Student Council members what they think of the idea. They all say that they do not think that the idea should be implemented. If you had the final say, what would you do? Walk us through your thought process.

“I would try to make [the 4 students who were excited] think it was a great idea. If they think it is a great event it means that I could make them happy, so I would try to find positive things about the event and try to find the points that the other 7 people didn’t like and try my best to make an event out of it.”

You have the chance to say anything to the Student Body. What is it?

“Choose me!”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS SHE?

Follow her on Instagram!

Favourite course: Ancient History

Favourite TV show: The Good Place

Best quality or skill: Charisma

Activities: Black history assembly, Mega band, afro- carib club, S.I.P, cheer squad,

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. School spirit
2. Communication
3. School community

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership, and what would your overarching purpose as a leader be?

I think the definition of leadership is someone who can take charge, communicate with other people, be honest with their peers, and can piece things together.

Why are you running for this position?

I’m running for this position because I want to see some change in Forest Hill. I’m tired of the sells and bells system that we have here running and I just want everyone in grade 9, grade 10, and grade 11 to have their voice put in throughout the whole school.

What if anything would you do to improve school spirit?

Something that I would do to improve school spirit is bring back the music that hasn’t been playing in the P.A system. I would get teachers involved as well because I know that when teachers are involved with students, it hypes them up. When we had the teacher’s vs boy’s/girl’s basketball games, it got everyone together. One thing I was planning on doing is a hillstock where people can come in with their family and friends, so that everyone can celebrate and enjoy together. They would have to pay admission- nothing too expensive like two dollars, that could go for a charity and bring up revenue for the school.

When being specific to social representative, what was your favourite and least favourite event this year and why?

My least favourite event was the Halloween dance. I really don’t think anything special was happening, it wasn’t hyped up that much comparing it to last year’s dance. That dance was broadcasted everywhere and it was a great time. I think the first pep rally that we had was great, it outshined the past pep rallies that I have been to, and more students were involved.

Are there any initiatives you want to add on?

One of the initiatives I have is a senior ditch day, I know a lot of schools have that. I think it would be really cool if we just go to wonderland and have fun for one day because we are graduating. Another thing that I want to do is a culture day or a straight up culture week. We have a lot of diverse people in this school and we see each other for more than four hours everyday so might as well get to know everyone a little bit better. 

One year from today, what do you hope to have achieved and try to be specific as possible.

Obviously I hope that I do make social rep. Something I do hope that is achieved overall is probably Forest Hill being more of a community and less singular groups everywhere because we are pretty diverse. I want to make Forest Hill a really unique school; I would like for everyone to get to know everyone a little better, to rely on each other, and be a family. We are here for four to more hours a day, for five days a week so I feel like we should all be inclusive together.

Why did you rank school spirit as your top priority?

School spirit I placed as my number one because Forest Hill is a very academic school and is known for having great marks. But at the same time, people need to realize (the staff and the teachers), that we are also teenagers, and if the school spirit is up, students would be able to have fun and come to school. They would be excited to come to school if more events are planned- more teacher and student involved events, like I said previously teacher vs student basketball games. The pep rally was a great way to bring up the spirit compared to the past two years because there were so many students involved. Also, culture day should be in placed because like I said previously we are more diverse and that gives us time to shine for our cultures.

I was in black history assembly, and we all had a broad idea of what we wanted to do, but everyone had different inputs. So we really had to come together as a community, as a group to be able to perform and put on this big showcase for the whole school. We all had to take charge, take leadership, listen to each other, and put on a great show. And we did put on a great show.

Why did you rank communication as second?

I ranked communication as second because how can you change anything without having to hear the opinions and the voices of the students? We can’t just throw something out there and hope for the best thinking that the majority of the students are are going to enjoy it when really you didn’t get the voices of everyone at Forest Hill. So communication must be second.

Why should students vote for you over all the other candidates?

I think students should vote for me because I can get the voices and opinions of everybody. I think I have great communication skills to keep a conversation and to really try and add everyone’s opinions and everyone’s questions, to really bring to the school and get everyone’s voices heard.

It’s September. You have to decide on which events are going to take place. Next year, there are two dances taking place. You can either have the dances in the same semester, two months apart or you can have the dances in different months, six months apart. How do you decide? Walk us through your thought process.  

I think I would have the dances in two different semesters. The reason why I picked that is because in the first semester we can see how everything ran, if it ran smoothly, and we can take those ideas and put it in the second semester. Everything that didn’t run smoothly- if the prices were too high, if they didn’t like the music, if the decorations were not nice, we can take that, and switch it up so that we can cater more to the students.

You have the chance to say anything to the student body. What is it?

What I would say to the student body is that I am sick and tired of how Forest Hill runs, I really want to make a difference. I think if they vote for me difference will be shown because like I said previously I can communicate with everybody. I don’t care who you are, I can communicate with you, see what your problem is. I will try my really best to work with the other candidates running and make a change because Forest Hill is really academic based but I feel like we should step it as we are teenagers trying to have fun as well. Voting for me next year, things would be great and I would make a difference.

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS SHE?

Follow her on Instagram!

Favourite Subject/Course: Band and French

Favourite movie, book or TV show: The Truman Show

Activities: Music Directorate, Noteworthy production, swim team, mega-band

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. Inclusion
2. A fun environment
3. Respect

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

I will ensure that I am representing these various opinions by listening to the different types of opinions throughout the student body. Since I am involved in many different clubs at FHCI, I get to hear different perspectives from many individuals.

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

What makes me unique from all the other candidates is I can relate to almost everyone at Forest Hill. I am involved in all the major groups at FHCI. For example, music, drama and sports. Also, I know what it is like to grow up with different traditions and speak a different language at home. Nonetheless, I think I am a pretty kind person and often, can help many people with their problems. I don’t take myself seriously and ultimately, I want to have fun. Sometimes, high school can be overwhelming so I try my best to make it the most exciting experience for my friends and I.

Is there anything else you think students should know about your campaign?

I want people to know that I am a very determined and “chill” student. I would love to be a voice for my grade and I know I would be the best representative for the upcoming grade 11 community.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership? What is your overarching purpose as a leader?

“My definition of leadership is not only taking command and going through stuff, but also helping other people find their place in the school community, and not only in school [but] outside in life as well – just trying to help others. As I said [previously], my purpose is just to help people and really get them on track – just excite them and make them happy.”

What, if anything, are you going to do to improve school spirit?

“Well, first of all, I would love to get my voice out there as grade eleven representative, and just really promote school activities such as the music concert that’s coming up, or maybe the drama production as well – just to spread it as much [as possible] through friends and classmates as well. ”

How will you ensure that you are accurately representing your grade?

“Well, I will definitely be the best representative for my grade because I’m involved in all the school clubs and everything – music, sports, and drama – so, I’m definitely the best individual to represent everybody. I’m such an approachable person, so anyone in my grade can come talk to me, and I’ll definitely hear them out.”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“In the coming year. I hope to have achieved really representing my grade really well, and more school spirit throughout the school. I think that’s such a prevalent issue in our school. So, the number one thing is school spirit, and also the Pep Rally. I want it to be more crisp and clean, and really show different clubs and groups at the school.”

You said that you value inclusion the most, why is that? Can you expand on that?

“I think that the first thing you really need to do to increase school spirit is to bring everybody together, and if everyone is involved in a club, or if they feel together, they will really feel like part of the school community. Especially as grade eleven [representative], if I  become elected, I would love to bring not only my grade, but all grades together to really have one fundamental high school experience.”

You said that you value a fun environment second, why is that? Can you expand on that?

“I chose a fun environment second, because sometimes high school can be overwhelming, and you need that excitement to keep on going and have fun with your friends. My mom always says [that] high school was one of the best experiences of her life, and that’s because she was in such a fun environment. So, if we can get students to not only be very academically successful, but also in their social lives, that would be amazing as well.”

You said that you value respect third, why is that? Can you expand on that?

“In life, you have to respect everybody – not only in school but in your social life, you have to respect everyone as well.”.

Can you share some examples of when you were a catalyst who brought groups with polarized opinions together so that all voices were at the table?

“Actually, in middle school, I was in a club called Girls Club. We were a bunch of girls who were trying to enforce change and I was one of the leaders in there. We had a foundation called I Am A Girl Foundation and we were trying to donate, you know. I was trying to encourage everyone to donate because being a woman and a girl in society is hard enough, but imagine people out there in third world countries. That’s when I was the catalyst, and I’m so proud of that as well.”

Why should students vote for you over all the other candidates?

“Students should vote for me, because I am an not only a very approachable and kind student, but I also know that I would be the best representative. For example, I am in music directorate, I’ve been in the drama team, and I’m in the swim club, so I definitely have all the perspectives of everyone in this club, if they have a problem. Also, I know what it’s like to grow up with different traditions, and speak a different language at home, so I would definitely be the go-to person – not for only the immigrants and newcomers that come to Forest Hill, but for anyone in the club since I definitely relate to anyone.”

“Well, as I said before, I’m involved in so many clubs so I can definitely see the perspective of anyone in sports, music, drama, or any of the arts. Also, in elementary and middle school I was involved in so many things; plays where I sometimes helped teachers direct it, and in the past in the “Noteworthy” production, [where] I spent so [much time working on it] until 9 pm every night. So, I think that’s my experience.”

Why do you think you should be the representative of your grade?

“I think I would be the best grade representative because I just think I am a very kind and approachable student – not to hype myself up, but I’m always the one smiling around people in the hallways, and I usually find my friends venting to me about their own problems – I would love to be that person for all the grade elevens next year as well.”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS SHE?

Follow her on Instagram!

Best quality or skill: Responsibility

Activities: Prefects, Peer Tutors, Golden Falcon, Music Directorate, Badminton team, Drama Festival, Math club

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. A fun environment
2. Inclusion
3. School spirit

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

I believe the biggest issue at FHCI is its school spirit, which has drastically improved, but is still not at the level it should be.

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

I am driven and passionate about accomplishing my goals. If there is a problem, I won’t stop until it has been fixed. As Student Council treasurer, I will bring something to the table that no one else will in the sense that I can effectively budget money in order to produce the optimum results.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership and what would your overarching purpose as a leader be?

“My definition of leadership is being able to accurately represent the entire population that you’re leading, which in the case is the student body; and being able to communicate their voices to other people. This is why I want to run for Treasurer because I want to communicate the ideas of all students, no matter what group or grade they may be in. I want to make sure very idea is heard, even if it is a bad idea. From this we can choose the best way forward.”

What, if anything, would you do to change school spirit?

“My main goal for running for Student Council is to improve school spirit because it’s not that good right now, I mean it has improved but I feel that people don’t really care for the school. They go here every day but they don’t care about it. I would improve events and make new events to make people excited to go every day. For example, liven up the mornings with music, which we have already started doing. Also I was thinking of battle of the grades event which would give people a chance to be proud of their grade and identity.”

How would the battle of the grades event work?

“It’s all the grades competing to see which grade has the most spirit, which is why I think it would work because everyone loves competition and everyone loves to win. So, they want to feel like they have the most school spirit, which is how the school would get more school spirit.”

Why did you apply for Treasurer specifically on Student Council?

“I like math and I enjoy working with numbers. I feel like I would be good at effectively budgeting money so that the school can save money. Also, using it so that we get the optimum amount that we can get from the money and the most amount of enjoyment is taken from these events.”

Do you think there any ways the school is not using the money effectively and maybe a better place to direct it towards?

“For one, the Golden Falcon Newspaper doesn’t get enough money. I think more money can be put towards not just the Golden Falcon, but all clubs and teams. This would also help with school spirit through getting these teams and clubs to represent the identity of the school.”

What will be your main purpose one year from today on Student Council?

“I want to make sure school spirit is at a maximum. I want to make it a place where everyone loves their school and their proud to be going here. I want the students to give their all at school events like Pep Rally’s. I don’t want them to just sit there watching and not participate in the events and like to participate in these events.”

What can you do to help with the Pep Rally spirit specifically?

“I think there should be more activities where the entire school should be involved. I know there are some good events like Staff v. Students, the tug of war and the balloon popping event. However it only involves a select group of people and I feel like there is more we can do to involve all students so they are not just there to watch.”

Why is ensuring a fun environment one of your main values? 

“It all ties back to school spirit. I feel like a fun environment will amp up people’s spirits and they would like going here. Battle of the Grades is one idea that would make for a fun environment and I believe it is important to all the students going here.

How about the costs, like prices of tickets, etc. What are you going to do as Treasurer?

“I think the services the school provides to the students should at least be free for them. Costs for the Dance Fashion Show or performances by the Music Department, there should be a certain amount that the parents should pay and people from other schools should pay. This money would go right back into the school to fund more clubs and teams.”

Why should students vote for you over the other candidates?

“Out of all the people running for Treasurer, I feel like I would be the best candidate to budget the schools money effectively enough so that we can save money but at the same time provide the students with experiences and events that will have the maximum amount of enjoyment and will have something that everyone likes.”

The previous Treasurer said that you need to have good organization and communication skills. Expand on these skills and do you have any other skills that would help you as Treasurer?

“I also feel like organization and communication skills are important, especially in this position because you need to be able to communicate effectively with your peers and the administration especially when working with money as everything revolves around money. Paying for school events, getting revenue from school events does involves talking with other people. In terms of organization, you need to be able to create spreadsheets and balance costs and profit. I believe that I am very responsible and being able to decide what needs to go and what needs to stay. I will not keep unnecessary events and add events that the school would not benefit from. These traits would which would make me a good Treasurer.”

You have the chance to say anything to the Student Body. What is it?

“I would communicate to them that no matter who they are, what grade they are in, race, religion, ethnicity, what group they are apart of, what club they are in. I feel like they should have a voice in this school and that they should be able to share their ideas with Student Council and other leaders within the school. I do not want them to be afraid of telling us their ideas and I want them to know that for sure that their ideas will be heard by everyone.”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.

Interview conducted by Matthew Lindzon, Esther Eisen & Josh Blatt

WHO IS SHE?

Favourite Subject/Course: Math

Favourite movie, book or TV show: The Office

Best quality or skill: Responsibility

Activities: Tennis team, ski team, NT house league soccer team, lifeguarding, uja teen board

BIOGRAPHY

WHAT THEY VALUE MOST

1. School Spirit
2. Inclusion
3. School Community

PROFILE

Forest Hill C.I. is a very diverse group of students, with over 900 individuals. How will you ensure that you are representing all of these various opinions and voices?

Inclusion is very important to me. I will ensure that everyone’s voices are heard by trying my best to talk to as diverse groups as possible when coming up with ideas for school improvements. Also, I’m approachable in the halls so anyone can come up to me with their ideas.

In one sentence, what do you think is the number one thing and/or most prevalent issue that students at Forest Hill CI want changed, fixed or introduced?

I think the number one thing that students want changed is the lack of school spirit.

What makes you different than all of the other candidates?

I have great ideas to improve the school. I will try to fix the issue of lack of school spirit by making school events more accessible to people by allotting more funding to make tickets cheaper. Cheaper tickets would allow more people to go to these events and show their spirit. I’m also extremely good at math and responsible. I got one of the highest averages last year, which shows my responsibility and dedication to school. I would put a lot of work into this position and give it my all. I would not slack off and do the bare minimum.

INTERVIEW

The following questions and responses took place during live in-person interviews featuring Golden Falcon editorial staff. The responses are practically identical to the candidate’s responses.

What is your definition of leadership? What is your overarching purpose as a leader?

“I think that being a leader means that you are working toward the good for the people you are leading. So, a good leader is not selfish. Their work is to benefit everyone and they try to take the views of the people that they are leading and put them into action. They also try to include everyone. So, a good leader is not exclusive; they make sure that everyone feels welcomed. They make sure that everyone is represented equally.”

What, if anything, are you going to do to improve school spirit?

“I think that school spirit could be improved by more people attending school events. As treasurer, one thing that I could do to help this is to try to make the tickets cost less money by allocating more funds towards offsetting the cost of tickets. If the tickets were a little cheaper for students, then it would be more inclusive for everyone and it would be more accessible, so people could show their school spirit and go to more events.”

There are a variety of different positions that you could of applied for on Student Council, why Treasurer?

“I chose to apply for treasurer because it fits with my personality of being very responsible and diligent and I am also very good with numbers. So, working with the school’s money is very appealing to me.”

In one year from today, what do you hope you have achieved? Be specific.

“In one year, I hope that I have made a difference in the school for the better by making the school more inclusive and using my role as the treasurer to make tickets to school events more accessible to everyone by making them cheaper. I also want to create a welcoming and positive environment for students of all grades.”

Why did you rate school spirit as your number one value?

“I think that school spirit is something that our school has been lacking in, that’s why I put it as my number one priority. I know that a lot of students in this school want to have more spirit and as part of the student council I think it’s important to tend to the students’ wants. I know that school spirit can really help people get more excited about coming to school and can increase their productivity at school, if it’s somewhere that they want to be. So, that’s why it’s my number one priority.”

Why did you rate inclusion as your second most important value?

“One of my top priorities is inclusion because I think that having an inclusive school is really important for people to feel comfortable and for people to, again, want to come to school. I’m going to do this by trying to make tickets more accessible to everyone.”

Why did you rate school community as third most important value?

“Yeah, so kind of similar to inclusion; I think that school community is really important for people to feel comfortable and welcomed into the place that they go every single day.”

What is one thing you want to change as Treasurer, in terms of finance and costs?

“So, the main thing that I want to change in terms of finance is to allocate more funds to offset the cost of tickets so that tickets can be cheaper to students so they can attend more school events, which will help improve school spirit.”

Why should students vote for you over all of the other candidates?

“Students should vote for me because I have great ideas to improve the school. Also, I am an extremely responsible person, so I will take this position very seriously and do all that I can to improve the school as much as possible.”

You have the chance to say anything to the student body. What is it?

“If you want someone to be treasurer who will work as hard as they can to improve the school and take this position very seriously, then vote for me.”

The previous Treasurer says that you need great communication and organization skills. Expand on these skills and do you have any other skills that would make you a successful Treasurer?

“I am a very organized person, which is displayed by my achievements at school. I had one of the highest averages last year so this shows that I can take my work ethic and my responsibility towards this position and I will be able to handle the school’s money very well and responsibly. I also have great communication skills. I am on many sports teams, and I have learned teamwork from being on sports teams so I will be able to work with my fellow student council members very well.”

Any final thoughts?

“Vote for me if you want this school to be better! Haha!”

STATISTICS AND DATA

Improvement of Events and Activities

The candidate stated their opinion on each of the following activities, events and initiatives performed by the previous Student Councils in the last few years. They rated each initiative from 1-5 | 5 means the activity was perfect, and they would not like to change anything about it. 1 means the activity needs to be changed, it is a high priority for them and they are highly motivated to change it.

Editor’s note: Transcriptions of interviews were almost identical to candidate’s live responses. Filler words, such as “like” or “uh”, were removed for clarity.