A glimpse behind high school’s STUCO team

The new school year of 2020-2021 has brought along an entirely new experience for students and teachers alike. These new experiences have been brought to SMIC-I students by the unfamiliar COVID-19 regulations as well as this year’s High School Student Council (STUCO) team. Despite the rules enforced by the school, StuCo has been trying to make positive changes and improvements to the student body by introducing SMIC-I merch and creating an interactive environment for students. With their new Instagram account at “sharks.stuco”and the communal question-wall located just outside the high school locker area, students are able to have their voices heard by the school.

After a period of hard decisions, the StuCo team of 2020-2021 has been narrowed down to Candace Wang (12B) as President, Mavis Goh (12A) as Vice President, Eric Kuo (12B) as Treasurer, Daniel Chen (11A) as Secretary, Candy Lu (12A) and Evan Chang (12B) as Historians, and a talented group of Representatives from grades 9 to 12. As students are greeted with a different StuCo team each year, the work that goes on behind the scenes also varies from the plans being set in motion and the members themselves. In an interview with the officers, Candace expressed her anticipations for the school year by saying, “I’m very excited about all the merchandise we will release this year! This is how StuCo is promoting school spirit!” As for Mavis, she looks forward to Performance Night,“an opportunity for dancers, singers, and actors to perform…”

StuCo’s Instagram account dedicated to presenting events and interacting with the student body Photo courtesy of StuCo

The officers that make up StuCo all contribute different things to the team and play separate but equally important roles. While everything may look effortless on the outside, the officers still face difficulties quite often as each role requires a lot of work and dedication.“Since StuCo is doing so many new things, there’s a lot I have to manage. I have to spend a lot of time communicating with StuCo members, with our merch and winter formal vendors, and with school authorities,” Candace shared. Mavis, who is in charge of StuCo’s Instagram account, mentioned, “It’s challenging to keep up with what’s happening around the school, and constantly create new content about our students.” As the secretary, not only does Daniel have to keep up with the fast-paced team, but also his “time organizing ideas and communicating with grade representatives.” Nevertheless, the officers are glad that they are able to face these issues together. “Nothing feels better than going through and overcoming challenges as an entire team,”Eric noted.

StuCo’s merchandise: an SMIC-I hoodie Photo courtesy of StuCo

StuCo’s merchandise of SMIC-I keychains Photo courtesy of StuCo

After only a few months of the StuCo team working together, they could confidently say that there are many aspects to love about the team itself through the variety of skills being demonstrated. The officers all appreciate the team deeply. Candace acknowledged, “All the officers this year are very passionate and StuCo has been more active this year than ever before.” Similarly, the rest of the team feels as if their efficiency and creativity are a couple of notable features this year. Eric added, “We are group of people sharing a common goal, constantly shooting out creative and awesome ideas for the students, and that’s what I love about STUCO.” On a different perspective of a grade nine representative, Justin Liao (9C) said that his favourite things about StuCo include his “Ability to plan and participate for events,”and getting the “chance to interact with upperclassmen.”

“Students Answer,” a new initiative available on StuCo’s instagram page Photo courtesy of StuCo

Many students and staff members have noticed the hard work and commitment that StuCo has been putting in action. On a daily basis, the officers are persistently on the go, coming up with new ideas to engage with other students.Even through all the obstacles that may appear at times, StuCo is devoted to the goals that they have set for the school year, including all the exciting activities that have been planned.

Featured Image — The StuCo officers of the 2020-2021 school year Courtesy of StuCo

By Sara Tee