While some students may already have their minds set on their summer vacation, a select group of juniors have put it upon themselves to give it their all in this upcoming last month of school.
The current Student Body President, senior Louie Chappetto, has almost completed his final year at MC. This leaves a pending opening at the position that, by the looks of it, will be filled by one determined and enthusiastic student.
Juniors Christos Dimas and Leonard Siegal have volunteered their time and efforts to each build their own campaigns and run for this position that they’ve both wanted to do for quite some time.
They are members of a number of clubs and athletic programs, and while they might be running against each other this year, they happen to have quite the unique relationship.
“Len lives with my family, which is honestly something that I’m still getting used to, even though it’s been a while,” said Dimas. “We’re both really competitive but also want what’s best for the school and students. No matter who wins, I think next year is going to be really productive.”
Siegal’s stepfather is a member of the military, so due to work his family moved to West Point last summer. Instead of going with his family–and due to his love for Mount Carmel–Siegal moved in with the Dimases, and both students are tied for the top academic ranking in the Class of 2025. They’re both well-known in the MC community and want to do their best to support that same community in return. Running for student body president is a perfect way for them to have a voice and inspire students.
“Our junior class came in at a time when COVID was dying down, so I think we really appreciated Mount Carmel for what it was,” said Siegal. “My goal is to ignite some school spirit into the students and create incentives for students to be involved. Being the student body president would be a perfect position to make this happen.”
Dimas has very similar goals when it comes to his campaign.
“Student participation is our number one goal,” he said. “I want to see more kids in the student section at games.”
While Dimas and Siegal are eager to inspire students right away, they must first gain the votes and respect from their fellow peers. In past years, the voting system simply worked as any number of candidates running for president with the first-place finisher becoming the president and the second-place finisher becoming the vice president of the student body.
Student Council moderator Mr. Brooks Nevrly decided to switch things up this year.
“Students are now required to have a running mate,” said Mr. Nevrly. “The person that comes in second place will no longer be the vice president, which set us up for failure at times in the past.”
Mr. Nevrly’s new election system seeks to make the VP role more important throughout the campaign process and keep the VP on the same page as the elected president the following school year.
Now that students need to establish their vice president before the election, Dimas and Siegal had some decisions to make. While Siegal is still considering a running mate among a narrowed list of classmates, Dimas has picked junior Marty Mann as his potential VP.
“Around two months ago Christos asked if I wanted to run with him,” said Mann. “We sat down and just thought about ideas that would benefit the students. We also based our campaign off of past student body presidents like [2022-23 President] Kevin Jacobs.”
In the next couple of weeks, these candidates will work to gain votes from their fellow students. One way they get to reach out to the student body is through MC’s Instagram page, in which they are given one day to post pictures and videos revolving around their campaign.
“It’s a great way to reach out to the student body,” said Siegal. “I’m excited to share my campaign and showcase my love for our school. My posts are going to show that.”
There will be more students running for the position, but Dimas and Siegal have been working on their campaigns longer than any other juniors. While they may be running against each other, they’re still talking with one another about different strategies and ways to increase school spirit and student participation.
“It’s hard to not talk to a guy you share a room with,” said Dimas. “Len and I both want what’s best for the school. What’s best for Mount Carmel is when the student body is enthusiastic about our brotherhood and truly cares about going to games and events.”
While Dimas and Siegal may be enthusiastic to win, they still know that they have a lot of work ahead of them for next year.
“If one of us wins we’re going to fully support each other,” said Siegal. “We’re in this together and want to make our senior year the best one yet.”
