It’s a known saying that there is power in numbers, but this couldn’t be more true for the class of 2025’s class council representatives. 

At the start of every school year, Shenendehowa students receive the opportunity to represent their graduating class by running for positions in the class council. Positions include president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. 

This year four friends, Sophia Spiegel, Genevieve Silaka, Landen Bidwell, and Maddy Estep decided to tackle this challenge. They decided to all run for corresponding officer positions and through their smart campaigning all got elected. They are now the new representatives of the 2025 class council and have big plans in store to make this school year enjoyable for their peers. 

Outside of class council, all four sophomores are involved in Shenendehowa’s drama club, school musical, and partake in various choirs.

Sophia Spiegel (Class president)– This may be Spiegel’s first year as acting class president, but she is coming in strong with great motives for representing her class. “I want to give back to the student body and help plan extracurriculars and other activities to get the kids in our grade more involved with the school community.”

Spiegel explained that the election process was more than just hallway posters. Spiegel along with her other opponents utilized her social media platforms to inform their peers about the campaign and why she was their best choice for the job. 

Spiegel knows that the best way to win over her audience and to overthrow the former president was to really listen to what her peers want in their highschool experience. “I needed to collect their needs and assure them that I could help them out.”

Genevieve Silaka (Vice president)- This will also be Silaka’s first year representing the students of 2025, but alongside her friends, she was able to pull through and secure her spot. 

Silaka ran against two other students this year, but her campaigning process really made her stand out against her opponents. “A big component of preparation was making posters, but coming up with ideas for the club’s future was another important part of preparing for the elections.”

Landen Bidwell (Treasurer)- This is Landen’s first year as an officer, and he is thrilled to be a part of the action.. “I wanted to be a part of the officer group. Last year, I was just a regular member of the class council, but this year I wanted to be a part of the more influential side of the club.”

Bidwell only ran against 1 other candidate, but nevertheless, he took his campaigning seriously. “I think getting the word out to everyone and verbally promoting the election made me successful in the end. I literally had posters in every corner of the school; they were hard to miss.”

Along with his positivity and enthusiasm, Landen has ideas that he wants to contribute to better the class of 2025 council. “I just want to make everyone in our grade feel more united. I want to do more team-building activities within our grade class and get everyone to be friendlier with each other.” Bidwell recognizes that class council focuses on fundraising, but he thinks the class climate is just as important. 

Maddy Estep (Secretary)- Lastly, Estep is also carrying out her first year as an officer, but she made sure to remind us that her friends really helped her receive her position. “We all made posters together to campaign for ourselves, and it all worked out pretty well in the end.”

Estep ran against two other students, but ended up coming out on top. Despite it being her first time in a head position, Estep is confident in her abilities and thinks this additional responsibility will provide some excitement and fun to her school year. 

These four officers have big plans in store for their graduating class, such as a rumored boat dance on Lake George in exchange for the typical gym semi-formal. Spiegel noted that the funds raised for the 2020 prom that never happened rolled over into the 2025’s possession. They want to use this money alongside with money raised from fundraisers to pay for the boat dance.

The officers along with the rest of the class of 2025 council are hopeful to successfully pull off the boat dance in the end of the year, but a big part of the planning process is getting approval from administration. “Will the boat dance get passed? Probably not. But we will certainly continue to try!” said Estep.