A Guide to This Year’s Chair Candidates

After a week of campaigning, voting has finally opened for Student Union! So, the only question that remains is who are you voting for? 

On Thursday, Husting took place in the Chambers as Chair candidates were able to share their values and ideas as our new possible SU leader.  

Thank you to everyone who showed up to cheer on the candidates, and for those who were unable to attend, here are a few promises made by the Chair candidates: 

Jaden 

The event opened with Jaden, who laid out her plans for events. For example, the introduction of spirit week, sports day and a school barbeque, wanting college to be a place of learning alongside fun to increase student morale. Jaden’s main aim is to make college an exciting experience that will benefit everyone’s future, and so she would like to work closely with Personal Tutors to focus Tutorial sessions on future plans by inserting interview mocks and personal statement aid earlier on in year 12. To build relationships with local businesses, as Chair, she aims to collaborate with popular venues like Starbucks and Rios to offer student discounts.  

Vote for Jaden to make college a fun, engaging, and supportive environment filled with exciting events, enhanced career support, and, perhaps, exclusive student discounts. 

Nathanael 

As Chair, Nathanael will champion open discussions on social issues, including academic pressures, discrimination and mental health, aiming to create a safe and inclusive environment for all students. One of his key initiatives is to display art around the campus to foster a sense of community by giving a voice to everyone through different mediums. Nathanael plans to facilitate volunteering and real-world opportunities for students of all backgrounds, to remove any barriers in career growth.  

Vote for Nathanael to make the campus a place of acceptance, inclusivity, and growth, where all students are supported and heard. 

Jack 

Our third candidate, Jack, is dedicated to ensuring that everyone has a platform to express their concerns and ideas. Jack believes in creating an inclusive environment, where students of all backgrounds are heard and valued, and so, his candidacy will foster a collaborative and welcoming campus for both current and future students. At the core of his campaign is transparency and equal opportunities, wishing to help all students in their journey and progression at King Edwards. One action he immediately wishes to put into action is reducing the price of the pool table so more people will have an opportunity to play, making games more exciting and accessible.  

Vote for Jack for an honest, inclusive and trustworthy Chair; a voice representing all. 

Silvana 

Silvana’s focus is on growth and connection, as she wishes to become a familiar face, creating personal bonds with as many people as possible. Some of her initial ideas include making form more engaging and beneficial through discussions of careers and next steps, themed days, such as ‘90s’ and ‘anything but a backpack’, and most importantly, creating a playlist for the Student Lounge in which all students can contribute towards. Silvana is an advocate for mental health, and so, as Chair, she will work closely with students as a shoulder to lean on. At the end of her speech, Silvana reiterated her promise to bring a connection to every single student. 

Vote Silvana to foster a sense of community through shared projects like the Student Lounge playlist, and to have a supportive presence in leadership. 

Tom 

Tom believes that everyone should have a voice in equal measures through voting, in which people can help with decisions regarding events, improvements and changes around the campus. Furthermore, he hopes to create a sense of community and collaboration through business connections with places, like Greggs, where students frequently buy from.  

Vote Tom for a say in college events and fundraisers, and to achieve a community centric to growth and collaboration through business partnerships with popular places in Stourbridge, like Greggs. 

Miles 

Miles was our next speaker, wanting to create an exciting environment through the instillation of reward systems, like chocolate for improved attendance, and vouchers for improved grades. Miles is a passionate individual, and so he would like to encourage a sharing of passions, like bands and artists, to create a more diverse culture within college. 

Vote Miles as he aims to foster a diverse college culture, in which people are brought together through shared interests, and plans to introduce motivators in the form of rewards.  

Josh 

During the initial stages of campaigning, Josh was able to do a survey asking for people’s suggestions on changes and improvements, which he seeks to rectify. He would like to work closely with leadership to find and create better study facilities and social spaces due to the current limited number of seats. As well as this, as Chair, Josh will conduct discussions concerning study hub to make it more flexible to meet individual needs, so alternative spaces can be used depending on personal needs. Mental health is a huge struggle as many students become overwhelmed with the masses of work, on top of other responsibilities, and so one of Josh’s main aims is to improve mental and physical health through gym membership discounts, and improvements to make the college gym more accessible. 

Vote Josh for a Chair who advocates for flexibility in study spaces, prioritises mental and physical health, and actively listens to your concerns and ideas.  

Harry 

Harry begins his speech with much energy, despite a slight mishap with the microphone, and describes himself as someone willing to learn from others as he is not perfect. Some changes he will instil immediately is driving test support, as many people will be going through driving lessons at this stage, and the introduction of games like Giant Jenga and college Murder Mystery to make college a more valuable and enjoyable space. Furthermore, due to the business of the student lounge, he will try and reduce the price of the pool table so that more students can play with their friends without the worries of money hanging over them. As a representative of the student body, Harry will give people the opportunity to make suggestions to make their own mark on the campus, to create a welcoming environment for us and future generations. 

Vote Harry for a proactive and enthusiastic Chair, who is open to learning, and committed to making college more enjoyable and accessible through student-led improvements.  

Jaz 

Our final speaker of the Husting was Jaz who immediately established who she is; an outgoing creative who wears her heart on her sleeve and is willing to listen and learn from those around her. Her main goal is to amplify diversity through engaging events, such as, cultural competitions, pride celebrations and black history month events. Events are clearly a major focus for this candidate, as Jaz emphasises the necessity of student engagement in future events, like fashion shows, themed art exhibitions and concerts as means of charity fundraisers to help our community. Furthermore, Jaz has clear goals for enrichment to make it both fun and beneficial to improve its overall attendance.  

Vote Jaz to support her in her mission to celebrate diversity, enrich student life, and strengthen our community through meaningful and fun initiatives.