Election fever grips Gorey Community School
POLITICS was on the agenda at Gorey Community School recently when it held its first ever student council election.
The process began in early September with each class electing a class representative, as students put themselves forward to run as a candidate.
Student liaison teacher Siobhan Cullen who led this initiative said that she was overwhelmed by the response as students from every year launched an election campaign that got the whole school energised.
‘The candidates busied themselves with erecting posters, billboards and setting out their manifestos. One sixth year student, Conor Brennan caught everyone’s attention when he erected a huge billboard at the entrance to the school.
‘The whole process was exciting, rewarding and has culminated in a truly representative body of students who are now taking on the job of being the voice for students in their school,’ she said.
In order to give candidates some guidance on how to run a campaign three local councillors addressed the hopeful candidates.
These were councillors Anthony Donohoe, Mary Farrell and Malcolm Byrne.
They spoke about some of their experience and reflections on how to manage a successful campaign.
The Leaving Certificate Politics and Society class offered to run the election, seeing it as an important learning opportunity for them to operate the proportional representation electoral process.
Ballot boxes were presented for voting and each class group was called to cast their votes, this being managed by Politics and Society teacher Brendan O’Sullivan.
The successful candidates for sixth class were Conor Brennan, Sean Timmons, Muireann Fitzpatrick, Lauren Spencer and Evelyn Fitzpatrick.
In fifth year Jake Anderson and Jessica Ene were elected, Dylan Nutty and Caoimhe Radford in transition year, third years Cormac Brady and Hugh Davis, second year Tom Stokes and Orlaith Kearns while in first year Joe Galvin and Ellen Toniste were elected.