When senior Maddy Marten, the team’s only member with previous experience, saw the election results, she was shocked — and a little unhappy.
“I was like, ‘Woah, this is going to be a little interesting,’” Marten said. “I expected people from commissions to come in because that’s what traditionally happened. All these other people spent a year in Leadership, so don’t they deserve it in a way?”
As she got to know her team, Marten changed her mind, but the early discomfort was present — and she wasn’t alone in it.
“There were a few mean tweets,” senior class president Julia Cho said. “It wasn’t a great way to start off, to [not] have that full support, but it’s just a tweet.”
The main hurdles were logistical ones. When the new officers talked about ideas, like a Senior Sunrise, Marten would jump in and say that they need a motion, only to be met with confusion.
“You could tell there was a difference,” Marten said. “It was kind of hard in the beginning, but now it’s totally fine. Everyone knows that it’s more than just coming to class every day. It’s coming to Quad Decs, coming to fundraisers.”
While the new officers did have to shift schedules, they had already been making time for class activities. Senior Ahmad Ali-Ahmad was nicknamed “pseudo-Leadership” for his contributions to the class, and his lack of experience wasn’t by choice — he just wasn’t elected or chosen until this year. He doesn’t view his or his team’s inexperience as a bad thing, just as a starting off point.
The early struggles of this starting off point manifested themselves in Quad Decs. In the first weeks, Quad Decs was populated only by class officers and two other people.
“In the beginning, there was like nobody, but now we’re doing stuff. They haven’t promo-ed as much yet this year compared to previous years,” senior Tara Arya said. Arya fits into the same “pseudo-leadership” category Ali-Ahmad did, a non-leadership Quad Decs regular, with dedication and a sore throat the day after a rally.
And when they finally did promote, it worked. A Homecoming Kickoff, complete with its very own Facebook event, had a turnout of 25 people. The Sunday morning gathering boasted a High School Musical soundtrack to fit the theme, a vegan-friendly barbecue and a group photo with three levels of people.
The new faces aren’t just an obstacle to get past — they benefit the group as well. An all-experienced team would have its downsides, too.
“People would be tired a lot quicker,” Marten said. “I notice that with a lot of returners — more burned out and sticking to old ideas instead of new ones that will get more people involved.”
However, according to some, including 2016 adviser David Clarke, it doesn’t really make a difference either way.
“Even if these kids have not been in Leadership, they’ve probably been in leadership positions with clubs,” Clarke said. “If you’re in Leadership and you’re not doing class officer stuff, you’re doing commission, and that’s a lot like clubs anyway.”
Marten’s ideal ratio would be about three experienced members and two new members — the original ideas are appreciated, but there’s a bit of a learning curve. When spring rolls around and 2017 votes for their class, they might stick with tradition and vote for familiar faces, or they might follow 2016 and try something new.
