High school student government is notorious for being a sparkly addition to a resume with minimal effort. Theoretically, false promises are made and bribery is encouraged. But the Ida B. Wells sophomore class representatives are above those teenage stereotypes in every school election movie from the 2000s. After years of non-existent school spirit and limited social interaction, this year’s representatives are ready to bring back the events students have been missing.

This new school year will bring a halt to the endless chains of canceled gatherings and depressing posters reading: “no homecoming dance this year.” In fact, there will be a homecoming dance, game, and tailgate. 

“We’ve already got the venues for prom and winter formal booked,” says Jade Marotta, a sophomore ASB representative and leadership student. Her main goal is for students to look forward to coming to school. This includes school pep rallies and assemblies to build student excitement.

One consistent student complaint is the absence of school spirit at Ida B. Wells. Spirit weeks often fly under the student’s radar or require inaccessible materials. 

Marotta chose to run so she could make up for her experience as a freshman at Ida B Wells. “In high school, you’ve got to dress up for spirit day,” she said, “and I was let down when not a lot of people did.” Marotta aims to help make school spirit more exciting by adding new spirit days. Some creative additions may include: bikers vs. surfers, or a day full of floral shirts and leather jackets based on the Disney Channel classic: Teen Beach Movie. 

Orie Zadock, an ASB representative for the sophomore class, suggests spirit themes that are accessible for everybody, like green outs. While school spirit is important, it’s not the only way for students to come together. 

Due to the pandemic, many school events simply couldn’t happen and it put a lot of strain on student connections. Jocelyn Luong aspires to change that. Luong ran for ASB class rep after being heavily involved in leadership freshman year and realized she could help pass on the student perspective. She’s interested in starting “grade-friendly competitions” within the sophomore class. One of her goals is to introduce talent shows to create pride in the success of students and the school as a whole.

It’s safe to say that the 10th-grade class is in good hands, with a total of four student representatives, all with their best interests in mind.

The last three years have been rough, but with these changes, 2022-23 may be the most spirited school year yet. In the wise words of Jade  Marotta, “it’s high school, you’ve gotta live it up.”