One Hill, One President: Q&A With Candidates

If Sam Ridky had to sum up his vision in one word, it would just be ‘panini.’ “Panini press machine without a doubt,” he says when asked about his top priorities for next year. But beyond crispy, melted cheese paninis and quesadillas, Ridky aims to “be the leader that people feel represents them and their beliefs.” He also hopes to extend café hours, boost school spirit, and ensure that StuCo better represents the student body. Ridky describes himself as an efficient leader, describing his work habit as “When I put my mind to something, I like seeing it come to fruition.” With his campaign theme song, “Duck Song,” Ridky is looking to serve up more than just sandwiches, but he  “will make sure that whatever we do, we do well.” 

Michael Illuzzi brings an air of mystery to the campaign trail, dodging questions left and right. He admits that he wanted to run for president because he believes “there are a lot of improvements to be made to the student council, and I think that it is not representative of the student body and their interests.” His favorite StuCo event is Homecoming—perhaps that soccer game is where he acquired one of his eight concussions. 

If being everywhere at once were a superpower, Gabriel Ciminiello would be Hopkins’ GOAT. As a varsity basketball captain, Peaches member, and someone present “in many different spheres around campus,” he’s involved in nearly everything. His mission? To boost school spirit across the board—from “athletics [to] performing arts and our school charities.” His dream policies? More Nutella at the sandwich station and once-a-month no-homework weekends. But his biggest concerns lie in uniting different groups of the student body and boosting the school spirit. He plans to tackle this by “creating as much crossover between activities as possible, such as fundraisers at games and fostering connections  between athletic teams and musicians like we saw with the pep band.” His favorite event? Field Day—because nothing is better than students uniting on  “our beautiful campus.” 

Ryann Holden may be a StuCo rookie, but that’s exactly why she thinks she’s the right person for the job. With her “new perspectives” and no preconceived notions, she’s here to shake things up—starting with assemblies. She aims “to try and make assembly more fun and something people look forward to.”When asked about her favorite StuCo event, she confidently replied, “Definitely Back to School Bash.” Maybe you’ll catch her there, jamming out to her campaign song “Femininomenom”

Like all good leaders, Avani is well versed in handshakes—she taught her cat how to do one! As for her other leadership qualities, she is “approachable and bubbly,” adding, “I feel like I can always make friends with new people.” Some ideas she has for next year include bar codes on key cards to be used in the cafe and  New York Times game competitions during assembly. Catch her at Homecoming dancing to her campaign song “All I Do Is Win” or at Five Golden Rings — her two favorite StuCo events. Avani feels the biggest issues at Hop are grades and stress. To alleviate these, she wants to “elevate social spaces with activities and games that are during lunch, frees, or common time that aren’t just the once-a-year ski lodge night.” She also wants to “organize a schedule that aligns with most sports to have a Hoco in every sports season where other sports get the chance for a hype video, and we can all have a hyped school spirit for a day where most teams have home games.”

Ripley Chance is a seasoned StuCo pro. Having served on StuCo since 7th grade, she is “experienced with the material and dedicated.” Ripley is not focused on the past — she wants to improve the future, and she has many ideas about where to start. “Meeting with Matt monthly, Mr. J weekly, and getting more connected with the PTA for financing” are all ways she wants to get more involved. She also wants to move CFBF a few weeks earlier as “it gets too cold in the winter.” Additionally, Ripley is big on improving what we have. She wants to revamp the walkathon and focus on supporting clubs with their events. When she’s not performing aerial silks, you can catch her trying to get ice cream available for every lunch.

Are you upset that school starts at 8:00am? Well, Alan is too. He wants to “push school back 15 minutes” so that there can be “opportunities and activities during this period, but no one would take attendance.” Alan was inspired to run by his fellow Hilltoppers: “I really, really love the people that I’ve met at this school; you guys are what make coming to school worth it…I wanted the opportunity to make our community better through the abilities being StuCo president would give me.” He believes mental health is the biggest hump on the Hill but wants to address this concern by “strengthening existing bonds and providing more cross grade activities.” When Alan is not busy running for president, you can find him painting masterpieces on pumpkins at Pumpkin Bowl!

After a year as Student President, Skula has some words of wisdom for the candidates: “It’s not about what you promise, but about who you are.” According to him, leadership isn’t about “magically installing a gondola between Baldwin and Thompson” (tragic, we know). It’s about listening to the student body and being realistic about promises. As Skula puts it,  “If StuCo were a stand-up comedy show, the president would be the headliner, but the audience—our student body—would be the ones writing the jokes.”  Reflecting on his time as president, Skula is proud of what StuCo accomplished, from “shaking up Pumpkin Bowl with new events” to doubling participation in CFBF. His final advice? “The best ideas don’t come from one person sitting in a room but from the chaos of a whole community that’s engaged and unafraid to hold us accountable. A good StuCo president knows that daring to try, to fail, and to improve is what makes the difference.”