Leading the Way Again

Members of Odyssey Charter Middle School’s 2023-2024 student council: (back row, left to right) Lucas Pietlock, Liana Kuria, Aariya Ghosh, (front row, left to right) Aaron Luu, Abbie Walden, Sahasra Vennamaneni. Not pictured: Josie Baird, Pranettha Boopathi.

The elections are over and the votes are in.

Students watched the campaign videos and decided who they wanted as their student council for the 2023-2024 school year. The OCS Middle School student council will be led by 8th-grader Lucas Pietlock as president; 7th-grader Aaron Luu as vice president; 8th grader Liana Kuria as treasurer; and 8th-grader Aariya Ghosh as secretary.

Students also voted for representatives in each grade. The 6th-grade representatives are Josie Baird and Pranettha Boopathi; the 7th-grade representatives are Abbie Walden and Sahasra Vennamaneni; and the 8th-grade representative is Deshawn Tovar.

The head of OCS student council is 6th-grade social studies teacher Melissa Daly.

According to Daly, the new student council met for the first time on November 14. During the first meeting, they went over rules and expectations for the meetings, discussed how to run a meeting, and talked about some major events that will take place this school year. At other meetings, council members will usually plan those events.

Some events planned for this school year include movie night, winter and spring dances, spirit week, and other fun events.

Pietlock is serving his second consecutive year as council president, and he also served as secretary in his 6th-grade year. He said his job as president is to provide fun events for the school and help keep a good environment in the school.

Pietlock added that he plans to do a lot of things for OCS this year. One of those plans is to make 8th-grade formal very fun. Raising money for the school is another goal he plans to accomplish.

Luu, the council’s vice president, wanted to run for the position because of his passion for being a politician and leader. Ever since 5th grade, Luu wanted to be a leader. He has experience from 5th grade too. He was part of a group called “Leaders of the Pack.”

Luu said he loved this experience, so he continued to be part of the leadership programs in OCS. This year, he plans to accomplish many things, like planning more activities for the students. Luu said he wants the students of OCS to enjoy our school so we have a better learning environment.

Ghosh said one of the reasons she wanted to run for secretary was because it is her last year here, and she feels that she can lead the younger kids. This is her second straight year as the student council secretary, and she feels she is a good fit for the job because of that experience.