The Buzz

Tyler Costello’s campaign centered around the improvement of his class reputation but also relied on his friendliness and willingness to work with everyone. “Our middle school teachers didn’t give us a lot of praise in middle school, and everyone thinks that we’re bad kids when really that’s not true,” Costello says when referencing the preconceived notions that the community has of his class. He wanted to run to make sure that the class of 2029 gets the privileges it deserves, but also so that the school as a whole can benefit as well. His action plan includes fundraising for every 1-2 months for the school, and he even had a marketing strategy that some might call bribing but what many would say was ingenious; there’s no better way to win over your peers other than offering them Jolly Ranchers for votes.

Caitlin Cahill is a dedicated student who enjoys taking leadership roles in her community. “I’m in a lot of different friend groups and I resonate with a lot of people,” she says and talks about how everyone’s voice should be heard, not just one group. Her work ethic and responsibility drove her to run for executive, using her all-around smarts and bright ideas to get votes. Her campaign stands on the idea that everyone should have an equal representation and balance in the community. “Caitlin Cahill; driven by purpose, powered by passion.”

Emily Gallini is already an active member of the NRHS student body, participating in the Unified Basketball team to represent her school, but her leadership credentials go back even further. She has been a member of both the Middle School and High School Student Council and loves making a difference for the better. Gallini believes that her ideas are unique and many seem to agree; her campaigning was organized and gathered many votes through her table-to-table method and eagerness to connect with others. Since the beginning of the running, many of her peers already had her as a top candidate because of her straight-A reputation and friendly approachable manner. Her slogan, “Hear every voice, lead every step,” truly shows how dedicated to her cause she is.

Nicholas Arena has always appeared popular among his peers and his name had already risen to the top of the candidates when the running was announced. His maturity and humor were contradicting factors in his image as a potential class executive but worked in his favor to attract votes from both friends and others who saw him as a good leader. Using a blend of charisma and motivation he managed to establish himself to the student body as someone who would lift up his class to victory.

Other brave students who put themselves out and into the running deserve as much applause as those who won. Special shoutouts to Charlotte Caturano, Blake Carlson, Eva Wang, Mia Driscoll, Jacob Negron, and Lily McAuliffe who were runners up in the class elections this year.

The feedback to this event was also rather positive in the sense that many students were happy with the results yielded by the election. Although there are always two sides to every story, the majority was satisfied with the new student leaders. Freshman Aiden Buckley says that he agrees with how the election turned out when asked about why he voted for the candidates, “Nick is a great leader and Emily has great ideas.”

Ella Ilteris and Reese Pasakarnis shared their thoughts on the election as well. “We really voted in the strongest candidates,” Reese says in response to Ella who mentioned their compelling causes. They also explained their excitement about creative fundraisers and events that might come in these next couple months.

Other interviews actually showed that some students regretted not running. Some felt that they might’ve had a good chance or even better ideas than some proposed, but with such understanding executives many are sure fresh ideas for fundraising and events are up and coming. 

Overall, this class election was a great experience and introduction of independence to the freshman. It showed them that their voice can be heard or it can be used to promote and prompt ideas and causes.