With the recent Associate Student Body and student council elections, students begin to recognize that, while summer is near, the next school year will be here just as quickly.

Student council speeches are often a way for candidates to showcase their school spirit and personality to voters. This is crucial in the election of ASB, since candidates are rising juniors and seniors and the underclassmen audience may not be familiar with them.

One incoming student council member is junior Kelly Nolte, who used her speech to present her sense of humor and positive attitude as well as love for NDB. She started her speech by saying, “Think about a time when someone else here at Notre Dame made you laugh or even smile, I can think of so many because that is what being a Notre Dame sister is about.”

She then went on to introduce herself, saying, “In case you don’t know me, my name is Kelly — yes — the girl who did not get her license until the fourth try. Everyone was rooting me on, through the fails and finally when I passed everyone was there to congratulate me. Being a Notre Dame sister is about supporting each other through good times and bad, and this experience taught me that an important part of being a leader is to never give up and remember you always have someone there to help you.”

Nolte is among six girls that were elected for the 2018-2019 ASB, who are rising seniors, including Grace Dermenjian, Alex Gatt, Kerry Hines, Mahek Pombra, and Krissy Smoot.

In her speech, Smoot drew on her own experiences participating in athletics at NDB, saying, “As a proud Notre Dame athlete, my coaches have always told me, ‘Krissy, finish this game knowing you left it all on the field’ (or court). I know what it is like to give it all you’ve got. This is exactly the attitude I would use as your ASB Officer… How I would approach ASB, if you elect me to be your ASB Officer?  That’s easy to answer… I will give it everything I’ve got and will leave it all on the field for Notre Dame.”

Hines used her two minutes in front of the entire student body to explain why she loves NDB, saying, “It is a safe community that doesn’t judge you… there is no need to impress anyone with the things you do… you have the ability to find out who you are and what you are good at. There is a sense of hope that is weaved throughout the school when you walking down the halls everyday.”

For Grace Dermenjian, ASB has been a goal of hers for her entire NDB career. In her speech she mentioned, “Ever since freshman orientation, I have admired ASB and dreamed to be one of the six members. To prepare for the opportunity, I have been on student council since freshman year, working hard to develop leadership skills to train me for ASB.”

Mahek Pombra emphasized how she has grown and matured over her time at NDB. She said, “Back when I was a freshman, I was very quiet and not sure about what I was interested in here. The first ever rally I attended really set the tone for me and I realized how well I fit in here. I was mesmerized by how the ASB back then got our whole school so hyped for that rally. I’m sure you have also had the same experience, not just at your first rally, but any rally in which all of us were just bursting with excitement.”

Alex Gatt explained what characteristics would make her a strong leader. She said, “Another strength that will serve me well as an ASB Officer is communication… I’m sure that my friends would agree that I tend to be an outspoken person. I am not afraid to convey my thoughts and ideas. I believe this to be a quality and a needed trait as an ASB leader. I am able to use my voice loudly and clearly, but I also know how to use it appropriately and respectfully. This is important since we all must be inclusive and work together.”

On Wednesday, May 9, another round of speeches were delivered and ballots tallied for the individual class councils.

In addition to the ASB and class officer roles, there are several other roles available for them to get involved. Students can run for homeroom presidents, who help keep their homeroom informed on school events, and boards, which are made up of students that work on a specialized area of the school’s activities, including religion, student wellness, and other specialties.