Student Council Presidents Amelia Bretl and Sophia Pietan have big plans upcoming school year
Photo submitted by Sophia Pietan
Junior Eliza Weston helps make posters for Sophia Pietan and Amelia Bretl’s campaign for student council Presidents of the upcoming school year. Pietan and Bretl also used buttons, social media and other platforms to spread the news about voting for them.
May 22, 2021
Juniors Sophia Pietan and Amelia Bretl have been elected the new Student Council presidents. Their campaign was based around change and what students can do to make this a safe and healthy learning environment for all. With many issues these two students are ready to face and take head on, the impact they are striving to accomplish will separate them from the rest.
Pietan and Bretl won the election for the 2021-2022 student council president position on April 17. Many students have been intrigued by their campaign and what they stand for. With COVID-19, the two representatives had to find new ways to reach their ideas and what they stood for with students in a safe way. For example, they provided buttons to students and faculty members to wear around school.
“It’s for working towards making a better cultural climate at our school, and just making sure, for example in dealing with race, racism matters at school. Students are really disrespectful towards people of color at our school, or just in general. It’s just not specific, maybe it’s not targeting a person specifically, but it’s just an overall disrespect towards different cultures and backgrounds,” Pietan explained.
With the two co-presidents of student council finding ways to reach students and to help have their voices heard, especially on serious topics that many students find important and needed to be addressed. With a strong support system of students and teachers relating and liking their ideas, many people have a strong mindset coming into the 2020-2021 school year.
“We know that there’s been a bunch of reports on students of color being mistreated and their voices not being heard. We don’t really want that to happen anymore, obviously, but we just want to create a bigger focus on that,” Bretl said.
Many faculty members have also seen the changes throughout various student council presidents, but with changes in the environment inside and outside of school, this past year has really stuck out to many.
“I don’t know Phia as well as I could during a traditional school year, but I would say based on my interactions with her, I definitely get the sense that she is a great listener and very empathetic to others. She seems like she has a lot of thought and care towards other people. Which is something amazing to have going for you if your to be in a position of power,” AP U.S. History teacher Ryan Miller added.
With COVID-19 being a huge influence, that has not stopped the two in working out ideas to help make this upcoming school year the best one they can make it. Along with ways to adapt and overcome the events and things we have missed this year, such as homecoming, sporting games, after school clubs and extracurriculars. Despite COVID-19, the effects of the global pandemic on mental health for not only students, but adults as well. Statistically, 4 in 10 adults have been affected by an anxiety or depressive disorder caused by COVID-19.
“With COVID-19 people are having a really hard time. During this understandably, and with people who already struggle with mental health problems we want to make sure that they feel really supported in our school. We are thinking we should be open or facilitate different groups like mental health support groups for students to talk about their issues in a safe space where they won’t be judged or can relate to people who are going through the same things as them,” Bretl said.
Bretl and Pietan have already been in Student Council for a year previous to this upcoming school year. Along with the experience, the ideas and role models that have been provided and that have helped these two have shaped them into the leaders they are today.
“Me and Amelia just decided to run, just for fun as an extracurricular activity. We didn’t really know what it was going to be like with COVID-19, but I would say the main thing that inspired me by this year was the Student Leadership council. They deal strive towards making a better cultural climate at our school and just making sure the equality in the school and handling racism. The leader of the Student Leadership Council is Mr. Rish,” Pietan said.
