Seven years ago, the Walpole High School Student Council was virtually nonexistent in the regional, state, and national levels. However, WHS’s StuCo has recently made huge strides in becoming a more successful student council—becoming both a Massachusetts Gold Council of Excellence and a nationally recognized Council of Excellence in the 2012-2013 school year. More recently, junior Kody McCann, a Student Council member, became the first WHS student to run for the Southeastern Massachusetts Association of Student Councils (SEMASC) President.
On November 22 McCann, along with 40 other members of Walpole’s Student Council, attended the annual regional conference at Whitman-Hanson High School. Each year at the fall conference, candidates from different high schools run to be elected to the President Elect position, shadowing the active president for the remainder of the year before becoming the president themselves the following school year.
This year there were four candidates up for the position: McCann, Samuel Botelho from Middleboro High School, Patrick Butler from Rockland High School, and Madison Utz from Plymouth South High School. At the start of the conference, each candidate took the stage to present their speeches to the SEMASC audience. McCann’s speech took on an underdog theme, as he opened it up by talking about the Red Sox, which one year ago was the worst team in the AL East and came storming back in the 2013 season to win the World Series. McCann often referenced the popular Drake song lyrics, “started from the bottom now we’re here”, which the Red Sox appropriately used as their post-World Series win theme song, to relate the WHS Student Council to the Red Sox. A once nonexistent Student Council is now a nationally recognized council, much like the once worst team in baseball is now a world champion.
McCann then focused his speech on his own individual accomplishments and motivations for running for the position. He said, “In a region like this, sometimes a new perspective is needed for the president position. And that’s why I’m standing up here. In order to compete with the best regions, we need to evolve. We need a new direction, and I’m willing to lead SEMASC in that right direction.” After completing his speech, McCann received a round of applause from the audience as well as a standing ovation from the Walpole StuCo members.
McCann’s interest in running first began last Summer at the National Association of Student Councils (NASC) Conference in Las Vegas. After talking to Linda Francis, the head supervisor of SEMASC, and spending three days with kids from across the country who are as invested in student council as McCann is, he decided pursuing the position was something he wanted to do.
To prepare for his campaign at the conference, McCann had to write his speech as well as prepare a sign, order buttons, and practice his speech—as votes are based mainly off of the candidates’ speeches due to a lack of opportunities to campaign before the conference. McCann said, “The most important part of preparation was practicing my speech, so I practiced it in front of everyone I could find in the week leading up to the conference.”
Despite McCann’s preparations, Botelho ultimately won the campaign and was named the 2014-2015 SEMASC President. Although McCann was not victorious, he was successful in taking a step forward in the world of Student Councils that no WHS student has taken before. Student Council Advisor Ms. Kerry McMenimen said, “We are an up and coming force in state student councils and we are showcasing fabulous student leaders.”
McCann’s abilities as a leader do not stop at Student Council; McCann is also involved in basketball, Agora, the Global Studies Program, Film Festival, and the German Exchange Program at the high school. He is also a peer counselor and a member of the Wapole Brigade. Student Council President Jack Stedman said, “Kody is always enthusiastic about what he’s doing and his ability to be so involved in not only student council but also so many other school clubs shows how dedicated he is to the things he does.”
McCann’s willingness to step out of his comfort zone and run for a prominent position at SEMASC parallels Walpole StuCo’s recent determination to make itself known in a sea of school councils. Despite his loss, McCann serves as a model for both students and councils everywhere that wish to shatter the status quo and stand out. Regardless of the election’s outcome, McCann’s attempts should not be perceived as one small step at SEMASC, but instead as one giant leap for the underdogs.
