Ben Barnett is the current Sergeant-at-Arms of Harriton High School, and is running to be your next Student Council President. This year, Ben is involved in the freshmen mentor program and the SpeakUp program and he plays for the HHS football team. As Sergeant at Arms, he helped organize the playbill, ticketing, and raffles for Mr. Harriton and organized the spirit weeks and pep rallies this year. The Banner was able to speak with presidential candidate Ben Barnett about his vision for Harriton in the future, how he plans on implementing his plans, and his involvement in Student Council.

While reading Ben Barnett’s responses, keep in mind the duties of the Student Council President:

• Be the spokesperson for Harriton’s student body, inside and outside of school.
• Attend School Board and Student Council meetings.
• Oversee all committee actions and actions of other officers and members.
• Conduct Student Council elections.
• Chair the Student Rights Committee, which acts upon concerns of the student body by proposing policies to the school board and administration.

Harriton Banner: What initially inspired you to run for president?

Ben Barnett: Student Government has captured my interest ever since middle school. The power and the say that the Student Government has on the school community was the initial reason that I joined. Since then, I have moved on from middle school government and advanced to high school student government. During my sophomore year I decided that I wanted to run for an officer position. The power of the position and the change that can be made in the school community inspired me to run for Sergeant at Arms. Throughout this year, I have examined Willie Marks closely and I have admired the role he plays in our community. The change that he has sparked and the proper leadership skills he has practiced has inspired me to run for Student Council President. I feel as though I can continue the legacy and uphold the leadership as well as improve on aspects of our school through plans and execution.

HB: What is your greatest strength as a candidate? What do you have to offer to the student body?

BB: I believe that my greatest strength as a candidate is my leadership skills. As a freshmen mentor and your current Student Council Sergeant at Arms, I believe my leadership skills have grown immensely this past year. The experience is also a major strength that I bring to the table. Out of all of the candidates in this election, I am the only one who has served as a student council officer for an entire year. Throughout this process, I have organized meetings, coordinated many important aspects of Mr. Harriton, and have grown to understand the logistics of the Harriton Student Council By-Laws in their entirety. I offer a strong backbone of leadership to our school community and countless hours of experience.       

HB: What is your primary goal if elected president?

BB: My primary goal if elected president would be to increase communication between the Student Body and the Student Government. To execute this idea I would make sure there would be a monthly email sent out to the entire school. This email would contain a synopsis of what the student council has been working on, and achieved, in the past month. Along with this, there would be a survey where students could voice their opinions on what needs to be improved in our school, the positive aspects of our school, and what we should continue doing to keep our school the amazing place that it is. Students would obviously not be required to answer, it is simply an easy way for students to directly insert their opinion into the Student Government.

HB: What are your other goals for the upcoming school year and how do you plan on implementing them?

BB: I have many goals that I would like to achieve if I am am elected president. First off, I would like to implement a system where students would be able to pre-order their lunches. This would [lead to] less congestion in the lunchroom and would also allow you more time to enjoy your lunch with your friends.  Secondly, I would like to increase school spirit. We have seen in the past that school spirit can’t be forced, so instead I will maintain three spirit weeks along with three spirit days. I will also bring back some of Harriton’s famous events such as the Wing Bowl as well as introduce new events such as a spring fair. Lastly, I would like to increase the amount of money raised by Mr. Harriton from $20,000 to $25,000. To make this happen I will implement a telethon and fight for a canning license.  

HB: What is your favorite thing about Harriton’s student body?

BB: My favorite thing about Harriton’s student body is the fact that everyone has an amazing sense of individuality. No one feels the need to conform. This is extremely important in having a diverse school containing people with all different interests and hobbies. If elected president, I wish to bring all of these individuals together to create a strong sense of community at Harriton.

HB: What would you do as president in the following situation: inappropriate music comes on the speakers at the end of Mr. Harriton by mistake. How would you deal with this?

BB: First of all, the president is responsible for the outcome of Mr. Harriton. This being said, I would ultimately take the blame for inappropriate music being played. However, as President I would take the proper precautions and place the correct and trustworthy people in the sound room to make sure that this would never be a problem. The countless hours that I spent with Willie Marks will help me to identify any future problems related to the execution of Mr. Harriton.   

HB: What are some challenges that you think you would face as president? How would you deal with those issues?

BB: I believe that the main challenge that I would face as president would be to execute the Spring Fair event that I am proposing. To do this it would take a lot of money to start the event and would also need to have the proper safety regulations as well as permission forms to partake on the rides. This would obviously be a lot of work, but I am willing to put in the work to possibly create an event that lasts years to come.