The election for new 9th grade student council representatives took place in Saperstein Theater on November 14th, 2025.
This is the first year that Harvard Westlake has held an election specifically for new freshman to run as senators, and this will become a permanent change according to Director of Student Affairs Sarah Tooke ’04. The two representatives that won this election will join 4 returning senators that were selected last year.
“If you think about it, we give new seventh graders a chance and they don’t have to wait a year to participate in student government. We accept 100 new ninth graders and so it seemed only reasonable to give them a chance to participate in student government their first year here.” said Tooke.
Twelve students put together campaigns for the position, but only two candidates got the position: Dylan Kaw ’29 and Owen Kim ’29. The entire ninth grade class listened to the speeches of candidates before voting digitally for who they thought best fit the role. A lot of effort goes into preparing for the speeches.
“In preparation, I tried to write a speech that actually encapsulated my character and my personality. I worked to make sure to give my peers my résumé while proactively engaging with the audience. I rehearsed my speech to myself, friends, and parents, and asked people if it was well communicated and relatable.” said Kaw.
Both Kaw and Kim are passionate about being in Student Council and have exciting plans for their upcoming term.
“I want to make this year memorable by creating tournaments like the basketball, volleyball, and clash royale tournament. I also want to allow us to be able to sit with more than 4 people in the library. I wanted to be part of student council because I want to help lead this school.” said Kim.
Kim and Kaw had memorable speeches, which voters said helped distinguish them from other candidates. Kim cracked relatable jokes and suggested ideas that resonated strongly with the ninth grade class. In a moment of improvisation, Kaw stepped away from the podium and emphasized his points even further. Milan Ramesh ’29 commented that both speeches were lighthearted and he really enjoyed listening to them.
Kim and Kaw were both overjoyed to hear the news that they won, with Kim sharing a story about how he didn’t even know himself when a friend congratulated him.
Although there are now six ninth grade student council members, tenth grade has only four prefect spots.
“I don’t know if the prefects situation will change now. There’s prefects but then there’s also SLIDE leaders and a service council called Community Council. All of those groups really act as student leaders so while the formal student government only has four spots, the reality is there’s frankly expanded opportunities for students to be involved in the inner workings of their school.” said Tooke.
