Vote For..Vote For…! It’s Election Fever at St Aloysius Hr Pr School in Choosing their SPL/ASPL
Vote For..Vote For…! Election Fever at St Aloysius College Higher Primary School-Mangaluru in Electing their School Pupil Leader and Assistant School Pupil Leader
Mangaluru: Gone are those days, decades ago when elections were held in a grand scale only in High School/College-but time has change, where elections are now even held at the Higher Primary school level. Post-summer, the season sure belongs to school children who for a brief spell don the role of voters in a democratic setup. Recently St Aloysius College Higher Primary School-Mangaluru conducted polls and elected their student leaders, who then took oath at the respective investiture ceremonies.
In an election year when attack ads saturate the airwaves, and candidates opt for all kind of publicity to gain votes, but election campaigning for the post of SPL/ASPL was at a kind of reverse civics lesson, where the kids did the opposite of what it takes to win in the real world. The election campaign went for a week between lunch breaks and during free time, where supporters of the candidates held posters/banners and yelled to their loudest voices to vote for their candidate..Vote For….! Vote For…! Two days prior to the election day, campaigning was banned. The system was kind of similar to Assembly Elections, except with a little twist here and there- an Election Fever which came into being in 2000 or so.
SPL/ASPL candidates at the affluent, 900 plus student school, gave their best speeches in order to gain votes. The Candidates spoke big about their profiles and promised to bring changes if elected. “I will bring the real change. I am not all talk, I take action. I have skills to handle everything coming my way. Vote for the one who already knows what it takes. I have all skills and characteristics needed and I have the ideas to shape the School the way you want. I will put my best foot forward and always carve out time for the needs of students. Vote for someone who knows the game! Make your choice because I am Dedicated, responsible and passionate. These are only a few of the words which describe me and demonstrate why I’m ready to tackle the job of being this School’s SPL/ASPL. So remember YOVO (You Only Vote Once) so make it count. Make me your choice, and I’ll be your voice! If you want your voices to be heard, if you want difference to be brought in the school, then I am the perfect choice. A Vote For Me Is A Vote For You! -were some of the highlights of the speeches given by the candidates before the students went to the polling booth.
The rules set by the School pertaining to the Elections made some candidates and their handlers extra cautious. Without campaign promises to define them, the kids stressed experience. One candidate noted that she had been at the school since kindergarten and wanted to make “her seventh-year count.”Others emphasized personal qualities, such as kindness and thrift. After the speeches, the students from 4th to 7th were eligible to cast their votes. Little Aloysians went to the polls on Tuesday 12th June 2018 for the posts of S P L and A S P L. The candidates who contested for the posts were Allan Menezes, Adithya S K, Rishabh Bekal, Gavin D’souza, Rishel Fernandes and Joyline Miranda. The election process was conducted according to the General elections. The polling officers Arun, Harish, Ms Joyse D’silva helped in the smooth running of the Whole process.
While the counting was in progress the students were cheering for their favourite leaders with all excitement. The school quadrangle was a feast to watch the enthusiastic students along with their leaders. All were eagerly and patiently waiting to hear the final results. And finally the results were announced, and Alan Jason Menezes was elected as the Student Pupil Leader, while Rishel Fernandes the A S P L for the academic year 2018-2019. The kids clapped fiercely with joy after the results. The losers congratulated the winners. Couple of candidates who lost consoled each other with a half-pat, half-hug, knowing that everyone can’t win, someone has to lose!
The investiture ceremony of the school cabinet was held on Saturday 23rd June for the academic year 2018-19. Ms Joy J. Rai the Principal of Canara CBSE school Dongarkery was the chief guest. The function was graced by correspondent of the School-Fr. Eric Mathias SJ, The Headmistress Ms Philomena Lewis, and the Vice President of the PTA Ms Rekha Fernandes.
The chief guest Ms. Joy Rai in her message said that student community is the Strongest community. She spoke about the 5 ‘C’s namely Character, Commitment, Conviction, Courtesy and Courage to build a positive self esteem. She asked the students to have devotion and dedication to be successful. One need to struggle hard for a successful life and wished the newly formed cabinet leaders to do well in their regime and to work hard.
The 4 “B”s spoken by the correspondent Fr. Eric Mathias S.J. were to be kind, to be gentle, to be compassionate and to be patient. The student cabinet then took the formal Oath and promised to uphold the values and tradition of our institution, pledging to take it even to greater heights. The Headmistress conducted the Oath taking ceremony while the teachers in charge of the cabinet conferred the leaders with badges and sashes. Philomena welcomed the gathering while Aaron J Saldanha proposed vote of thanks. Alan Pinto compered the whole programme
In conclusion, to the SPL/ASPL in my perspective, now that you are elected by your fellow schoolmates, you need to possess great leadership skills which is the key factor for your posts. You need to be organized, determined, respectful and a responsible individual. You should be an excellent communicator as well as an inspiring and motivating person. Need to be a role model for many individuals, and have a positive attitude and approach to all things. You need to be a dedicated student leader that has the vision and the capability of bringing real change to this school. Be highly engaged around the school, and try to participate in almost everything; arts, athletics and academics, which will give you the, “all-rounded experience,” that your SPL/ASPL posts must have. Follow the pride values and be a strong, enthusiastic, passionate, inclusive, and a resourceful leader.
Best of luck and all success in your leadership qualities, from Team Mangalorean