November 12th 2012,
An exclusive interview with Student Council President Noor Shakfa, by Nafeasa Elhassan
Q: How does it feel having people look up to you?
Noor: I think it first and foremost is an honour. I like to have that and I feel really respected. Because I have this position of being a role model and stud I take everything I can from it. I don’t want to take it for granted but I also want to give back to the student body because it is a position of high stature and it means a lot to be respected in this sense. Yeah, I definitely feel respected.
Q: What is your favourite part of the council experience?
Noor: My gut reaction to that question is the family connection we have. Our council, legitimately, is not like a council it’s more like a family. We respect each other in that sense. If there are ever any conflicts that arise we tell each other. If we didn’t have that council family environment we would not be enjoying out time. It is high school, right? And you’ve got to make every experience count and because we are so close we have fun planning these events and it makes it so much more worthwhile. That in itself is enough of a council experience for me. Even if an event doesn’t turn out as great as we want it to, it was worth planning it, running it, and being there with my council.
Q: Is there anything you do to cope with the extra stress of being president? Perhaps a song or movie that relaxes you or just anything you do to keep focused?
Noor: My naps. I have to have a one hour nap sometime in my day and that legitimately keeps me running. When I don’t have my nap I will reach a certain point in the day where I will turn completely grumpy and it might not be a good part of the day but it happens. I will get over that point and sometimes I can’t really fit it into my schedule, however my naps just rejuvenate my energy.
Q: What new or exciting events do we have to look forward to this year?
Noor: This year we’re bringing back what we call The Backyard Bananza. That’s going to be near the end of the year. Usually what happens with council at the end of the year is: we have out new council elections, we’re all so busy with exams and everyone’s so busy with the whole end of the year that we completely forget to have fun. But this year we’re bringing it back. We promise to do it every year but we never actually end up following through with it. It’ll be like a funfair and we’ll have it on the track. We’re just trying to bring back a great day for all of South to come out and buy some food, have some fun and play games and stuff. We get to high school and forget to have fun so hopefully this will work out.
Also we have planned a Dynamic Duo Day that we haven’t done. It’s basically like a twin day so you’ll pick a dynamic duo like Mario and Princess Peach or Michelle and Barack Obama or pick a twin if you want. So it could either be a couple thing or a twin type thing. It’s your choice really, just a fun day to dress up.
And of course our traditional pajama days before exams; definitely looking forward to that.
Q: Is there anything council is doing differently this year?
Noor: Every council is different, every council that you’ll ever have is going to be different depending on who’s running it and who’s on it. This year we don’t have Mrs. D’Alessandro as our staff advisor. It’s a really big change because usually Mrs. D helps us with everything but this year she is gone because she is pregnant and we have Miss. Cartmell. Miss. Cartmell, I can’t even put into words how absolutely, incredibly organized with woman is and how much she can get done. She can tell when I have a lot on my plate and will make sure the council knows. So two weeks ago I had a lot due, with exams, midterms, social justice and all that and all these other committees and all these other groups, plus school and university, so she offered to step in and run a meeting. Meetings take a lot of time to plan and a lot of time to get things ready for. She offered to step in and help. Miss. Cartmell in herself has been a complete change but it’s completely positive. We don’t want to take her for granted because she’s absolutely great.
Also we have a lot of new faces on council. We do have a lot of returning members but because a lot of the members last year were seniors a lot or seniors this year that were not previously on council joined. It’s nice to have them there and we’re looking forward to a good year.
Q: Do you have any advice for some of South’s junior students that might be thinking about joining council?
Noor: Exactly like I said to the Grade Nine reps: We elect our council in the end of May, early June of every year and it takes so much energy, courage and responsibility to be on council because planning events and having everyone be excited for them is a big deal especially in a high school environment. My advice to them is: Get involved no matter what. When the grade nines ran I said they’re incredible for being able to stand up on stage and write a speech and give it and expect people to vote for you. It’s a lot, it’s a lot to be able to do and the fact that these people do I is absolutely incredible. I look up to these guys. My advice to the juniors is: Get involved. Honestly, I was one of those people that was all nervous and shy in grade nine, however I started building more courage and joining in after that point. Honestly, I wish did it when I had more time, but I will never regret doing it now because it teaches you so much about management, responsibility and it’s always a way to be respected at South and it means a lot to me.
