As the 2017-18 school year comes to a close, North Penn’s Student Government Association (SGA) held its officer elections for the 2018-2019 school year. Current sophomores and juniors watched speeches from 10 candidates and voted for who they believed was best fit for the officer positions. After a highly contested election, the results rolled in.

Meet who you elected for this upcoming school year:

President: Billy Wermuth

Current grade: 11

What motivated you to run for this position?

The idea that the events we run can be better and will be better. As well as knowing that I get to represent North Penn as a whole where we strive to make the entire school year one of memory and fun.

What do you plan to do next year as an officer?

I plan on seeing through all the events as well as creating more opportunities for students to get involved and stay involved at the high school.

Any advice for those running in the future?

Make sure you stay patient and understand that all your years of hard work will pay off.

What does having this position mean to you?

It means a lot. Having participated in SGA for so long and to finally have worked my way up the ranks has made all my years at North Penn worth the effort.

Vice President: Simran Rathod

Current grade: 11

What motivated you to run for this position?

I was eager to run for Vice President because I wanted to further my involvement with SGA as I was the Corresponding Secretary for the 17-18 school year. I also really wanted to expand my leadership abilities and my role in student government.

What do you plan to do next year as an officer?

Next year as Vice President I really just plan to improve everything we did this year, as this year was a quite successful one. There’s not really much to change but things can definitely be improved and new things can be added. I do hope to seek out some new ways to get the whole school excited for our events and increase our attendance at our events.

Any advice for those running in the future?

I would encourage those running to work their hardest and show their abilities in a fair and acceptable manner. People like a good leader that is willing to lend a hand anywhere. Along with this I definitely recommend anyone interested in running to attend a PASC Summer Leadership Camp. These camps provide you with such amazing skills and they were truly life changing for me because it really throws you into the reality of having a leadership role, and at those camps there is nothing but room for learning and improvement!

What does having this position mean to you?

Having this position means a lot to me. I am beyond excited to continue my involvement with SGA and I am eager to work with and meet all the new SGA members. I hope to fulfill my duties to the best of my ability and hopefully make this big school a little bit smaller by getting the people who don’t usually get involved excited to attend events and be a part of North Penn.

Treasurer: Shirin Chong

Current grade: 11

What motivated you to run for this position?

I knew I wanted to run for an office position before the start of the year but didn’t know what the specific responsibilities were. So when applications came out and I finally saw, I knew that Treasurer was the best position for me.

What do you plan to do next year as an officer?

Next year as Treasurer I plan to go above and beyond to find new ways for SGA to save money so we can fund bigger and better school events.

Any advice for those running in the future?

Always put in all your efforts and be prepared when running for an office position. Never put in only half-effort.

What does having this position mean to you?

I’ve always wanted to be a part of student government since I was in elementary school but didn’t really pursue it until I got to high school. So reaching an officer position really indicates how I’ve grown as a person since then.

Corresponding Secretary: Katie Park

Current Grade: 11

What motivated you to run for this position?

I’ve always loved being involved with student council and I wanted to take it to the next level my senior year. I feel like everyone should do their part, I want to make sure everyone is committed to what they do in SGA.

What do you plan to do next year as an officer?

I feel like in the past years SGA has become really irrelevant. In other words, no one knows what we do. Next year I want to make SGA more prominent in school so the whole student body can have a more enjoyable year. Further, I don’t think students believe the influence they have; I want to emphasize student opinion and vocality on the school. I also want to use the power we have to reach out to our community and on.

Any advice for those running in the future?

Don’t do it for college because then you’ll be wasting everyone’s time including your own. Do it because you’re truly passionate about serving others.

What does having this position mean to you?

This position means caring for the needs of student opinion. There’s a big stigma that student council is for the overachievers. For me and the rest of the officers, I really want us to work for the care of the student body.