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Writer's pictureEverest Schipper

The 2024 Cate School Presidential Election (Nike Iverson '26 & Jasper Shelmerdine '26)

As the Cate School 2024 Presidential Election was right around the corner, excitement about the presidential candidates heightened, and the candidates were beginning to debut their campaigns. The five pairs of candidates were Lilli (P) and T.J. (VP), Scutter (P) and Val (VP), Davey (P) and Zach (VP), Jacob (P) and Sanai (VP), and Joba (P) and Riley (VP). Each pair brought unique ideas and different perspectives to their campaign, and although there was only one winner, it was a very close competition. 


To recognize the differences and uniqueness in each pair of candidates, they were all asked the same five questions: 


  1. “What is your main campaign value?”


Scudder: “Bringing the community together and involving everyone in Cate activities.”


Joba: “Valuing the needs of the people.”


T.J.: “Making the community more connected and lively.”


Sanai: “Spirit, wellness, inclusion, success, and hope.”


Davey: “Empowering the student body.”



  1.  “What is the main thing you want to change?”


Scudder: “I don’t want to change anything. I want to add art conferences to the school so people can recognize each others’ work.”


Joba: “How student voices are considered and heard.”


T.J.: “We want to change how clubs run by having club nights on a Friday night, so it’s a dedicated time for clubs to hold meetings and events. Also, we want the whole community to participate in sports games and revamp blue crew.”


Sanai: “We want to change the relationship and communication between students and faculty to become more transparent.”


Zach: “Cate is still an institution; there will be work to do regardless. It will get difficult sometimes, but we’re here to make it less stressful and more enjoyable.”



  1.  “Why did you choose to run, and why did you choose to run together?”


Scudder: “My freshman-year seniors were so good at bringing the community together, and I wanted to follow in their footsteps. Val and I decided we had the same ideas and came together to incorporate them.”


Joba: “I figured it would be a good way to bring as much change as possible, and Riley is my other half.”


T.J.: “I know how fun boarding school can be since I have lived at 7 or 8, and I want my amazing experience growing up at boarding schools to be the same for other people. Lilli and I decided to run together because we are good friends and work well together. We both bring good energy and she makes up for the organization skills that I lack, so we are the perfect team.”


Sanai: “Jacob and I had conversations with many faculty members who suggested that we run because of our wishes to advocate for the students.”


Zach: “We want to introduce more events on and off campus and promote the Senate as a tool for students to utilize more. We decided to run together because we are friends like A.A.O.”



  1.  “What challenges have you faced?” 


Val: “I think there’s this misconception about Scudder that he’s not gonna take the presidency seriously bc he’s known to be goofy, but he’s super dedicated to the campaign and helping improve the spirit of this place and making this community a more stress-free, supportive, loving, and fun place.”


Riley: “Talking to faculty with crazy ideas and getting rejected, video getting rejected and we couldn’t post it anywhere, lots of work outside of the campaign to do, disagreeing with each other, and procrastination.”


T.J.; “Generating ideas and figuring out how to make them possible.”


Jacob: “One is for sure time management. Students who are not running only see 5% of our work. Running your campaign takes a lot of time, which most people don’t understand. Making posters, t-shirts, and videos on top of prepping for assessments is a struggle for Sanai and I.”


Zach: “The main challenge we have faced in our campaign is that Davey and I are day students. There is some skepticism among borders that day students are out of touch with the boarding community at Cate.”



  1.  “What makes your campaign unique?”


Val: “I think Scudder’s and my dynamic is pretty unique because we’re really different people but it’s a good thing because we balance each other out.”


Riley: “Being super creative and being one of the few candidates who will talk to anyone no matter the social status or situation.”


TJ: “We just want to bring more spirit and build the community up more since I think we can do better and it’s more fun that way.”


Jacob: “We hope to integrate our Cate community with the carp community as well.”


Zach: “Our campaign is unique in that we are taking a primarily student-focused approach in regard to our policy.”



 

Everyone witnessing the presidential debate and forming opinions on each candidate saw the capabilities and potential they all have. However, one pair, in particular, outweighed the rest as they worked their way up as new sophomores, best friends, and the future president and vice president of Cate School… Joba and Riley! In an interview that was held with Joba and Riley, they explained their eagerness to begin making some changes right away. The two of them have some great ideas in mind, such as the opportunity for juniors to drive their peers, and have already begun their conversations with the faculty to make Cate even more well-rounded and enjoyable.

Although President Andy Carranza and Vice President Adrian Ordoñez will be hard to follow, the student body is confident that R.O.B.A.’s partnership, ideas, and perspective will better the community in the coming year. As they say themselves, “It doesn’t all happen in one day. It builds over time.”



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