By Kian Davarmanesh
Recently, I received the opportunity to interview the Grade Nine Representative, Isaac Chu, with questions about his campaign, promises, and challenges. Readers should note that this interview was done over private messages and not in person. As such, everything stated here was directly copied from Isaac’s responses, save for a few spelling errors and changes to increase formality. Any changes will be outlined in square brackets.
The Woodstock: What are you planning on doing/changing now that you’ve been elected?
Isaac Chu: If it hasn’t been clear enough, school has been boring throughout [the] COVID-19 [pandemic]. Nothing has been done, all school events were cancelled, even field trips were put to the absolute minimum. I’m already planning a few events, especially events that are suggested by the grade nine community to bring school back to how lively and enjoyable it was before. I also look forward to [hearing] the innovative ideas of the upper councils that I’ll be working with this year. To add on, grade nine is most definitely a new experience for all of us, and I plan on making school this year less stressful than your typical Valorant game. If you have any suggestions on what you would like this year to look like, feel free to drop me a dm (direct message) or if you have not followed the grade nine rep Instagram account, please do [at] @twssgrade9rep and your suggestions and opinions can be sent there.
TW: Did you think you had a chance of winning? If so, why?
IC: I did hope that I had a chance of winning [the election] but since there were a lot of new grade nines that I didn’t know, it was impossible to actually determine whether or not I would “win” this position. In all respects, I look at this role as an opportunity, rather than a title to win, because after all, the reward for winning is the responsibility of a grade rep, not a medal. I was glad that I knew people [who came] from a few different schools and was able to convince them to vote for me.
TW: Do you want to credit anyone for helping you with your campaign, advertising, etc. or did you do everything yourself?
IC: I’d like to credit everyone for helping me. The outcome of the election wasn’t my greatest concern, rather it was the fact that I would need to understand my entire grade’s wants if I became a grade representative. Throughout the campaigning process, [students] who publicly spoke to me about how they wouldn't vote for me because the other candidates had a better proposal, essentially allowed me to enhance my understanding about what everyone wants. I would most definitely also credit my voters for supporting me all the way through campaigning and also some of the candidates that have even helped me put up posters and give their suggestions on my campaign. After all, even though we were rivals, the other candidates and I [are] still good friends.
TW: Were there any major difficulties in the campaign or advertising?
IC: Something that has been difficult throughout the campaigning [process] of Grade Representative is the fact that I also had to keep up with my studies and my work. I had to find a perfect balance between working on campaigning and finishing quality school work. Although I do realize how much time I had spent on campaigning for Grade Representative, I believe that reaching a balance between my academics, my social life, my family, and Student Activity Council (SAC) is essential to maintaining positive mental health.
TW: Finally, is there anything you’d like to address towards the whole grade?
IC: Prior to the actual election and the start of SAC meetings, a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings were caused because of a lack of knowledge about [SAC] roles [and what they entailed]. Especially during campaigning periods, where candidates are trying to up their standards to get votes, some ideas and events are simply infeasible by SAC and also the school as a whole. I suggested an event called ‘bonfire night’, [which] turned out to be infeasible due to safety concerns. It is important to know that not all suggested changes to our school are actually possible. For example, I cannot increase your midterm marks :). Additionally, grade reps do pitch events of their own, [however,] their main purpose is to communicate between the grade and SAC. After all, it's called grade representative (note the word represent is in the second word). Of course, I still help the council with event planning but if you suggest events, voice your concerns, or anything you feel needs to be changed (other than your midterm mark) I am essentially fulfilling my responsibilities. If you’d like, you can refer to the @twssgrade9rep Instagram account for the Google Form to input a suggestion.
There you have it! Congratulations to Isaac Chu for winning the election and becoming the Grade Nine Student Representative. Readers should once again note that this interview was done over private messages and was not conducted in person. You can find Isaac’s official school account on Instagram at @twssgrade9rep.
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