As we welcome the new year, we also welcome the 2026 Student Council Elections. After Winter Break, students interested in running for executive roles on the student council had the opportunity to campaign by handing out candy, creating fun videos, and making eye-catching posters, all in hopes of winning your vote. 

During the election period, the hallways and staircases came alive with bright-colored posters, clever slogans, and even trending memes, making this an exciting and memorable time for the school community. Candidates also extended their platform by creating Instagram accounts, where they shared their ideas for Clinton and made entertaining videos set to trending sounds. From this year’s TikTok memes to clever mottos, this campaign season has brought laughter and energy to all students. The Student Council Elections have become an outlet for students to get involved in the school community. As students watch the candidates share their ideas and see the effort and energy put into each campaign, they learn about leadership, school spirit, and how they can make a difference in their community.

In addition to the colorful posters, candidates have the opportunity to engage with students when they make speeches to each grade during the week leading up to the election. Each grade has the opportunity to listen to the candidates as they recite their qualifications and ideas. Additionally, students get to know about the candidates during certain lunch periods. Here, the candidates give out candy and talk directly to students. During this time, the candidates are looking to listen to students’ concerns, ideas, and hopes for Clinton.

I was able to speak to Ella Green, a sophomore at Clinton, who is running for Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Ella expressed that “As CMO, my goal is to boost student engagement and awareness through social media and making sure everyone is in the know for school events and activities.” For those who may not know, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) works to keep the school community informed about upcoming events. To do this the CMOs market the event, so that all students are aware of the event’s details. 

I also had the opportunity to speak with Ava Golden, a sophomore at Clinton, who is running for Tenth Grade Representative. Ava Golden explained that, “As Tenth Grade Representative, I hope to plan fun grade bonding events for sophomores and share resources for going into the IB program.” There are two grade representatives for each grade and their job is to advocate for each grade’s wants and needs.

The student council has a crucial impact on the school community by shaping events and representing the school as a whole. This year’s voting starts on Friday, January 16th, and it’s a highly anticipated event across the entire school! Good luck to all those who ran, and congratulations to the newly elected student council executives!