This year, Sedro-Woolley High School’s ASB elections featured an unusual lack of competition. Aside from the sophomore and junior vice president races, every candidate ran unopposed.
So why have less students signed up for ASB roles, and why is there a decreased interest in ASB in the first place?
“I think that kids got comfortable doing nothing,” said Kelly Hawkins, teacher and ASB advisor at SWHS. “So I think that asking them to do anything extra is asking a lot these days.”
Despite what appears to be depleting interest, Hawkins has not lost hope in ASB.
“I think that it’s getting a little bit better. In a couple years it will hopefully be back to normal, to where we get school spirit back, and that’ll trickle in to people stepping up,” Hawkins said.
Cruz Trevithick, the new ASB president, also feels hopeful: the low number of students interested in ASB hasn’t made her confidence sway.
“I’m really excited for this,” Trevithick said. “I’ll hopefully change some stuff.”
ASB is a platform for students to bring about real change to their schools. Whether by talking to members or joining the organization, participating in ASB is a way to improve the educational environment that goes unnoticed by a majority of students.
“That’s like, the most important part. To listen to the people and do what they want,” Trevithick said. “If we can make that so, that’s how you plan to improve the school.”
Many students in this school have ambitions, notice problems that go unseen by others, and yet don’t know how to go about taking action.
“The ASB’s duty overall is to be the voice for all of our students, to create events that are inclusive for everybody,” Hawkins said. “We have a lot of kids at our school that want to make a difference, [and] I think that ASB is a good avenue for making change at our school would be really helpful to get more kids involved.”