This Wednesday, 25 September,  Marc Garneau’s Student Activity Council had an election to determine the semester positions for the first portion of the year. In total, 26 candidates applied. The results are as follows:

Grade 9 Rep – Zaid Baig

Grade 10 Rep – Helen Feng

Grade 11 Rep – Takhliq Amir

Grade 12 Rep – Barkhaa Talat

Junior Representative – Eric Su

Senior Representative – Gavin Xu

Advertising Coordinator – Mara Gagiu

Secretary – Summiya Asif

SAC 9

From left to right, back to front: Summiya Asif, Barkaa Talat, Takhliq Amir, Mara Gagiu, Helen Feng, Gavin Xu, Zaid Baig, and Eric Su.
Photo: Cindy Cui

Congratulations to the elected candidates and also to all running candidates for a commendable effort. These positions represent the closest liaison between SAC and the student body. Each position plays a role in maintaining proper connections and making sure there is always communication between the various components of the school.

The Reckoner spoke to a handful of candidates during the elections. The elected Grade 10 representative, Helen Feng, shared her plans for the semester. Helen said: “I plan to organize more events such as the carnival last year because I know you guys enjoyed them. I will also try to promote more clubs and make dance costs cheaper.”

The grade representative positions are responsible for acting as the primary connection between SAC and the students of their corresponding grade. Grade reps hold monthly meetings with the class reps of their grade, and they are also responsible for all events, concerns, issues and information to and from their grade. In addition, grade reps work together to create and organize school-wide initiatives.

Grade representatives work in conjunction with the Junior and Senior Representatives. The Junior Representative oversees the grade 9 and 10 components while the Senior Representative oversees the Grade 11 and 12 portion. The Junior Rep also attends all parent council meetings and assists the External Affairs Officer, while the Senior Representative attends all SuperCouncil meetings and reports to the Executive Council.

Eric Su, the elected Junior Representative, shared his motivations. Eric commented: “I want to make more of an impact in Marc Garneau by getting involved with Dtudent Council and meeting new people who are also ambitious and have goals in mind. I believe student council is the right place to begin.”

The position of Secretary is in charge of assisting the Chairperson in upholding all SAC meetings. In addition, the secretary executes the minutes of every meeting and makes sure each meeting is productive and well-documented. Nishat Kazi, who ran for Secretary, gave her opinion on what she thought of the position: “You are kind of taking every little piece that goes on in student council and you’re summarizing it in to one piece so that everyone can see it clearly and coherently.”

The final position, Advertising Coordinator, is a fairly new addition to SAC. It is the only position that is determined by  interview, instead of election. SAC President Nabeel Ahsen explained why he believed it was necessary:  “This position was created as of last year seeing as there was an increased need for not only a graphic designer, but a marketing coordinator as well who can oversee most of the events of the school.”

The implementation of an interview process is due to the technical skills necessary for the position. Nabeel commented on the details of the application process: “The Vice-president [Vanessa Du] and I conducted interviews starting this Tuesday after school, for which we used a point system and our discretion to choose the Advertising Coordinator.” The Advertising Coordinator is responsible for promotions on social networking sites and at external events, poster and ticket designs, as well as handling occasional material the administration needs distributed to the student body. Mara Gagiu, the appointed Advertising Coordinator, said: “The position creates unity, in the sense that the student body can be informed of upcoming events and future plans very reliably and quickly.”

Once again, congratulations to the elected candidates as well as all applicants. The commitment of effort and initiative in joining the Student Activity Council is integral to building a stronger school community. As Nishat stated: “You need to just love your position in general, because I think that when you love what you’re doing, you do the best in it.” The positions will once again be open in February for re-election.