This spring’s class elections took place over the past few weeks as candidates gave their speeches via Zoom during Class Meetings and students voted through Google Forms. The interviews have been lightly edited for clarity.

Rising Lower Mids: Jaidyn Hurst ’23 and Jason Shan ’23

Why did you decide to run for class presidents?

JH: I decided to run for class president because the Hotchkiss community has had a big impact on me. I had known for a while that I would like the opportunity to lead my class. I am lucky to be in such an incredible class with kind, smart, and fun people. It will be great to work with Jason and the class council to lead and create an amazing year for us all. 

JS: For me, running for class president was a matter of giving back to my community. Quarantine has given me a lot of time to self reflect on my time here at Hotchkiss. I’ve realized how much the community has given to me, and I think serving as class president is a great way for me to give back. Jaidyn and I understand the importance in this job and we are ready to create an even better environment for others.

As class presidents, what is your most important goal in the next school year?

JH: Our most important goal is to seamlessly integrate the new Lower Mids into our class. We also want to create a buddy program with the Preps. We believe unity between the grades is very important and want to help form relationships with other grades. 

JS: Next year, Jaidyn and I hope to connect classes with one another. The Hotchkiss community extends to everyone beyond our class, and because we recognize the importance of this bonding, we hope to not only create a more inclusive class, but also hold events and projects with other class presidents. We hope that this will help to create a better Hotchkiss community.

If school doesn’t reopen in September, how will you help create a welcoming school year virtually?

JH: We hope to work with the administration to come up with engaging and exciting ways to meet the new students and have people feel connected. We know it will be harder, particularly for the new students, to form relationships via Zoom. We plan to put a lot of thought into what activities will create unity as a class.

JS: Understanding the importance of staying connected, Jaidyn and I hope to host interactive events via online to bond students despite not being physically at Hotchkiss. 

Rising Upper Mids: Jordyn Harrison ’22 and Isaac Tandatnick ’22

Why did you decide to run for class presidents?

We want to make a positive impact on our grade’s chemistry next year. We also want to promote and maintain the values of Hotchkiss and act as positive role models to help support the grade throughout our Upper Mid year. 

As class presidents, what is your most important goal in the next school year?

Our most important goal next year is to bring our grade together so that everyone feels more connected and valued within our community and class. We want our peers to come to us directly with any suggestions or ideas about how to make the transition to upperclass years more manageable. 

If school doesn’t open in September, how will you help create a welcoming school year virtually?

In the event that we don’t return to school in the fall, we plan on hosting optional study hall sessions after school. We know that it can be hard to find a sense of motivation during these times. At these sessions, you can drop in to say “hi,” work on minor assignments, or collaborate with other peers to get your work accomplished. Also, we want to do weekly check-ins in addition to our class meetings to keep spirits high and during these difficult times.  

Rising Seniors: Ivy Bhandari ’21 and Luke Gardiner ’21

Why did you decide to run for class presidents?

We decided to run for class presidents because we want to make next year the best year possible for our grade. We recognize that it won’t be the Senior year we all expected, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be great. We believe that we are the pair that could make Hotchkiss feel like home next year even with all of the unknown obstacles.

As class presidents, what is your most important goal in the next school year?

We believe the most important goal in the next school year is to keep spirits high and maintain the sense of community we all love. As Seniors, it is our duty to keep the school feeling connected even if we cannot all be together. 

If school doesn’t open in September, how will you help create a welcoming school year virtually?

We have a few tentative plans and this summer we will work together to create more concrete ideas for the start of the year.