By Anna Bella D’Amico
Four term president champ Cameron Bernier, Class of 2018, and rookie Robert Korman, Class of 2019, sat down with The East Side News to talk about their roles as president and what’s to come in the following school year.
Korman, who was elected at the end of the last school year, was very surprised that he won. “There were a lot of good candidates,” he said, and he “wasn’t sure which way it was going to go.” For the senior class, there weren’t any other candidates opposing Bernier and as a result the presidency never changed hands. Bernier said, “It was a relief to not have to campaign. It was good to jump right into the new school year.”
For the coming school year, Korman is planning to take a different tack than the previous administration in certain key areas. “The class can expect more fundraising since we are behind on our JDD/Prom goals, as well as to increase communication from the officers to the class through social media,” said Korman. Bernier, a seasoned veteran, is hoping to perfect his reign after learning from the last three years. “I am hoping that through my leadership traits I will be able to reach out to the whole class, and become a president for all of the people.” Bernier said that the main goal of the senior class is to really bring the school together and be a driving force in terms of participation and spirit.
With a new presidency comes new officers, and without a strong, cohesive group, it will be more difficult to achieve their ambitious agenda. The junior class elected a diverse group of people who had never really interacted before the presidency but shortly realized after meeting several times over the summer that they were a great team. The class of 2018 chose Nya Herron as vice president, Grace Pogorzla as secretary and Sarah Moyer as treasurer. The senior class welcomed two new members to their administration, Adam Kluge, vice president, and Drew Elliot, secretary. Anthony Yermas, the treasurer, has been with the presidency since the beginning. Bernier had nothing but positive things to say about his team members both old and new.
The junior class is eager to begin fundraising to begin to make up for lost ground. The class has a Chipotle fundraiser on October 17, from 4-8pm and half of the proceeds after showing the flyer will go back to the class of 2019. Also, there is a Chiavetta’s BBQ fundraiser in place for March 1, where the class will make a minimum of $200. The senior class is in a good place in terms of fundraising and are focusing on building morale and school spirit this year. They don’t currently have any fundraisers scheduled but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any this year; Bernier said an announcement is forthcoming.
When asked about JDD, Korman could only confirm that it is going to be held on Friday, May 18th and that it will be at Banchetti by Rizzo’s. As for the senior class, Bernier disclosed that the prom will be at the Foundry Hotel and Banquet on June 8th.
Having covered the goals for each president, we then set out to learn a bit more about the young men themselves. We asked the presidents to give us five facts about themselves that their constituents might not know. Korman told about his Golden Doodle puppy named Neptune. He loves wakeboarding and plays on the varsity golf team. In his free time, he enjoys being a photographer and did an internship with the Hamburg Sun over the summer taking photos. He also enjoys tending to his vegetable garden. Bernier revealed that he is a history fanatic and plans to study political science/history. He spent his summer taking college tours, and his favorite TV show is American Horror Story. He too enjoys spending time with his dog, Griffon, a Cavapoo.
Finally, we asked the junior and senior class presidents what message they would like to deliver directly to their classmates. Korman would like to let the class of 2019 know that “While you elected us into these positions, we need your support and participation to be successful. We want your input and for you to be involved.” Bernier would like the seniors to know that he “is truly grateful to the class of 2018 for making these last four years amazing,” and he “is looking forward to making the last year the best year.” The two presidents are more than eager to jump right into the school year, sending a positive message that this year will be the best of them all.
