My First Dance (& Other Tales from Highschool)

In Which I Campaign As Class President

When we came back to school after winter break, I had mixed feelings. School wasn't something I dreaded per say, but nobody really wants to go away from fun to attending classes all day. Still, I liked my teachers and seeing my classmates everyday, so I wasn't too upset. Sienna felt the same way as I did. When she greeted me in the morning, she was smiling and told me she got some good news from her aunt, who worked as a secretary in the main office. Then, Vick and Sydney came along, and I could tell they did not feel the same as us. They seemed exhausted and absolutely not happy to be at school again.

Sienna didn't get to tell me what her news was because we had to get to class. We settled down in homeroom together, putting our stuff under our desks, and she leaned over to tell me the good news when our teacher clapped her hands together. I let out an audible sigh and turned to look at her. I just wanted to know what my best friend had going on!

But then the teacher introduced a topic that quickly changed my mind. She announced that we were going to have a student council for our grade and started passing around a sign-up sheet to be considered! I was ecstatic. I always wanted to be involved in something like that, especially if it was going to be for four whole years. Plus, I never got into trouble and I got good enough grades, so I definitely fit the criteria. All I'd need is my fellow student body to vote for me. That shouldn't be too hard, right? She told us that we'd be told who was eligible for running that Wednesday, and then we had two weeks to campaign and get enough support. Anyone who wasn't chosen for a special part on election day, like class president or treasurer, would get to be on the student board of decision-making instead.

Wednesday came by quick, and no surprise here, I was allowed to run as a candidate. I decided to go big and try for class president; there was only a handful of other students who did the same, anyways. Sienna's news ended up being about her aunt's new puppy, and I was excited and all for her, but I had to start preparations! My parents were both on my side, but since I'd gone so hard for the Thanksgiving fundraiser, they were also there to make sure I didn't go overboard. Don't worry; I learned my lesson from that fiasco. I still put in a lot of effort, but I didn't overhype myself nearly as much.

With the help of my friends, I put posters up around the school asking students to vote for me with cute puns that me and my mom came up with together. At lunch, I handed out little bracelets with "Vote Carrie For YOUR Class Pres!" engraved in them. They were actually pretty cool. They were those rubber bracelets that they sold at fundraisers and stuff. My uncle found out about my class presidency and decided to step in again and surprise me with them. Soon, nearly the entire freshman class was wearing bracelets that boosted me up.

I have to give credit where credit is due, though. Some of the other kids running for class president had amazing campaigns, too. One of them handed out paper airplanes until they were banned for causing too many distractions. Another brought cake to their homeroom. Yet another one made an entire music video about why they'd be the best! I mean, it wasn't the best song I'd ever heard, but for a freshman in highschool, it was pretty cool even if it was cheesy.

By the end of the first week, I had no idea who was going to win, but I got more determined. I still made sure to check myself and not go overboard, but I did bake cookies over the weekend to hand out. They were shaped like C's so people would remember who gave them out. I also started preparing my campaign speech. Apparently, the school decided last-minute to have a "debate" on Friday where we'd explain why people should vote for us. I'd need a lot of help with that from the people around me. I didn't want to sound stupid, after all.

My speech ended up being three pages long. There, I detailed all the information I thought was relevant. I talked about how I wanted to be a voice for the students, and I was willing to talk to anyone about anything they thought was a problem. I talked about how I rarely ever missed school and how I worked hard. Then, I went into some of the changes I wanted to see. After all of it was wrapped up, I ended it with a reference to my campaign cookies and bracelets. My dad helped me add in some humor and make it sound more concise, and my mom helped me fix the grammar since she was better at that stuff. Even my uncle had a chance to look it over. His only critique was jokingly telling me to add credit to him for the bracelets, so I figured I was good to go.

That Friday, I was shaking coming into school. I was confident in my speech and I knew it sounded fine, but I was nervous to get up in front of the school and talk to everyone. Even though I knew most of the kids in my grade, there were some strangers in the crowd, and I was only close with my own friend group. I wasn't sure what the others would think of me and my opinions. I didn't know if I'd mess up my words or do something silly on stage. I didn't know what to expect from the other candidates, especially the ones who'd done well so far. To put it lightly, I was nervous.

All the freshmen were all called to the assembly hall. My friends gave me good luck wishes, and Sienna even told me she was sure I was going to win. I offered a smile and tried to seem confident in myself, but I still hadn't convinced myself of it. I joined the other candidates up on stage and took a seat in between a boy I didn't even know was running and the girl who'd made the music video. She seemed much more confident than I was. I tried to sit up straighter.

When it was my turn, I took a deep breath and approached the podium. All eyes were on me. I cleared my throat and pulled the microphone down to speak. To be honest, I think I blacked out. I don't remember doing my speech at all, but I guess it went well, because everyone was cheering for me when I was done. I bowed politely and went back to my seat so that the next candidate could do theirs. By the end of the assembly, some contenders were alright, some clearly didn't even try to be good, and others were amazing. The race was neck to neck, and I had no way of guessing who'd win.

We were dismissed back to first period. It was there that we got ballots to vote for who we wanted as each person. I voted myself for class president, the girl who'd made the music video for vice president, a guy from my math class who was great for finances for treasurer, and Sienna for secretary. She was another person I didn't know had been campaigning. Sure, she was on the sign-up sheet, but she hadn't even told me about it! Maybe campaigning for secretary wasn't as big of a deal, but I sure did hope she got the part. It would be great having her on my team again. I put my ballot in the box and was antsy for the rest of the day. That weekend was going to be torture.

And it was. I was at my dad's house that weekend, and I spent the time waiting all Saturday and Sunday for the hours to pass by faster. I just wanted to know what our results were! I didn't totally ignore my dad, though. We went out for pizza and a movie, but I think he could tell my mind was preoccupied, so we didn't do much else.

That Monday morning, I woke up extra early. I think it was the anticipation because I was not ready to get out of bed at 5 in the morning. Yet there I was, staring at the TV like a zombie as I waited for my mom to get ready too. She drove me to school and I hopped out of the car as soon as she parked. I forgot to say goodbye, so I blew her a kiss on my way up. I didn't care if anybody teased me because of it. I loved my mom and nothing could ruin this day for me.

I got to homeroom where Sienna was waiting and tapping her foot. I playfully scolded her for not telling me about her campaign, but she said she didn't want to distract me from mine. I still would've wanted to know, but knowing she did it to boost me did make me feel a little better. It wasn't a big deal anyways. The big deal was the announcements that were going to come on at any second! I kept fidgeting and playing with my pencil, and when the buzzer went off, I crossed my fingers and toes. A girl I didn't recognize got secretary. Sienna didn't seem to mind much because when I tried to console her, she brushed me off completely. The guy I'd voted for got treasury. A girl I'd talked to a few times got vice president. Then was the moment of truth-- The next position would be for class president. I held my breath and waited....

...... They said my name! I won't bore you with the rest of the details, but Sienna literally tackled me into a hug. She knew how excited I was about this, even if I was trying to play it cool. We were all called down to a classroom to meet with our counselor. From there, we got more information on our positions and were told the real work would come next year when we were settled into our roles. When I got home that day, my uncle was over and waiting for the news. With a grin on my face, I told both he and my mom I got the part. Then, I raced off to call my dad.