TheStudentCouncilConstitution

AmericanSchoolFoundationofGuadalajara
HighSchool

20142015

TableofContents

Preamble
..................................6

ChapterI:PurposesandPrinciples
......................7

Article1:TheName..........................7

Article2:TheLegislative........................7
Purposeofthe
StudentCouncil

Article3:TheService..........................7
Purposeofthe
StudentCouncil

ChapterII:MembershipRequirements
...........

.........8

Article4:MembershipRequirements...................8

ChapterIII:TheStudentCouncil
.................

......9
Positions

Article5:StudentBody.........................9
Representativesand
GradeRepresentatives

Article6:ThePresident.........................9

Article7:TheVicePresident......................11

Article8:TheSecretary.........................12

Article9:TheTreasurer.........................12

Article10:TheHistorian........................12

Article11:ThePublic.........................13

RelationsOfficer

Article12:TheGeneration.......................13
Representatives

Article13:The12thGrade.......................13

Representative

Article14:The11thGrade.......................13

Representative

Article15:The10thGrade.......................13

Representative

Article16:The9thGrade........................14

Representative

Article17:RulesofIncidents......................14

Article18:Impeachment........................15

Article19:VotingRightsof.......................16

ChapterIV:ElectionProcedures
.......................17

Article20:Requirements........................17

Article21:ElectionVotingProcedures..................17

ChapterV:Events
.............................18

Article22:Meetings..........................18

Article23:MeetingRules........................18
andProcedures

Article24:Events...........................18

ChapterVI:TheConstitution
........................19

Article25:Aboutthe..........................19
Constitution

Article26:Amendments........................19

Article27:ProcessforRatification....................20
oftheStudentCouncilConstitution

Article28:Formatof.........................20
theCharter

Signatories
................................21

Preamble

Recognizing the duty and purposes of a functionalStudentCouncil,thischarterprovides

therulesandregulationscreatedbythe20142015HighSchoolStudentCounciloftheAmerican
School Foundation of Guadalajara. The following pages provide the description of all roles,
duties,andresponsibilitiesthataretobecarriedoutbytheStudentCouncil.

The Student Council serves to be the representation of the student body. As the head of
the student body and the communicatorbetweenstudentsandadministration,itisthedutyofthe
Student Council to lead the students and create a fittingenvironmentthatisnotonlysuitablefor
academic achievement, but as well as social activities. Furthermore, the Student Council must
serve as a mediator between teachers and students in order to create a productive and peaceful
environment.

This constitutionwasinspiredandbasedoutoftheUnitedStatesConstitutionandseveral
other Student Council Charters including, Mansfield High School, and Baines Middle School
Student Council Association. It is extremely important for future generations to come to
understand that this constitution may be ratified based on their necessities and perspectives on
howtheirrespectiveHighSchoolisbeingmolded.

ChapterI
PurposesandPrinciples

Article1
TheName

The formal and official name of this organization shall be the American School
Foundation of Guadalajara High School Student Council. Short versions of this may be, butare
notlimitedto

1. ASFGHSStudentCouncil(
writtenasHS,saidasHighSchool
),
2. HighSchoolStudentCouncil(
usedwithinASFGstudentbody
),
3. TheStudentCouncil(
usedwithintheHighSchoolstudentbody
),
4. TheCouncil(
usedwithintheStudentCouncil
),
5. StuCo(
usedbythemembersoftheStudentCouncil
).

Article2
TheLegislativePurposeoftheStudentCouncil

1. Represent
theinterestsoftheentirestudentbody,
2. Reviewandrespond
tofeedbackofthestudentbodyatanytime,
3. Act as liaison to the school administration, when it becomesnecessaryforstudentissues
tobeaddressedatthislevel,
4. Create bodies amongst its membership when necessary to achieve general and specific
goalsofthecouncil.

Article3
TheServicePurposeoftheStudentCouncil

1. Toprovideaid
tothestudents,theschoolandthecommunity,
2. To host, assist and or sponsor a number of school functions, events, and community
serviceactivities,inamannerwhichbringstheschoolandcommunityclosertogether,
3. Tocreate
anatmospherethatpromotesstudentinvolvementatASFG,
4. Toencourage
thedevelopmentleadershipskillsamongstallstudents,
5. Toprovide
leadershipandpublicspeakingtrainingforstudentcouncilmembers,
6. To assist our school to focus on relevant issues that affect them and to seek solutions to
thechallengesthatarisethroughouttheyear,
7. Toencourage
studentstoseekoutopportunitiesforbuildingcivicskillsandattitudes,
8. To cooperate in purpose and function with the National AssociationofStudentCouncils
andothercredibleorganizationswhosepurposesareconsistentwiththoseoftheNASC.
9. Toprovide
adviceforanystudentorASFGmemberwhenneeded.

ChapterII
MembershipRequirements

Article4
MembershipRequirements

Section1
There are two distinct definitions of membership within the Student Council, a Fixed
MemberandMemberinReserve,thefollowingare

Section2
AFixedMembershallbedefinedas

1. A person who has been appointed to the council through the official voting
process,
2. Missednomorethanfivemeetingspersemester,
3. Maintains a semester grade of 70% or above in all classes with no grades below
70%inquarteroneorquarterthree,
4. Hasnomajordisciplinaryissueswhichinclude,butarenotlimitedto
i.
Suspension,
ii.
Morethanthreeteacherreportsinthegivenschoolyear,
iii.
Beingpulledoutofclassforthreedays,

Section3
A Member in Reserve shall be defined as, a current member who in under the
requirements of a Fixed Member, meaning that the member is guilty of one or many of the
following

1. Missed more than five meetings per semester, whereas failure to report to
minimal requirement meetings will result in one strike, which calls forameeting
withtheadministration,
2. Gradesbelowtherequirementsasstatedin
Article4Section2
,

Section4
When a member is a Member in Reserve, they remain on the Student Council and may
attend meetings however do not hold the right to vote in any circumstances,
and may be
reinstatedasaFixedwhentherequirementshavebeenmet,

Section6
A Member in Reserve who does not cometotherequirementsinthetimegiven,theyare
subjecttoimpeachment(
Article18
).

ChapterIII
TheStudentCouncilPositions

Article5
StudentBodyRepresentativesandGenerationRepresentatives

Section1
The Student Council is divided into two groups, Student Body Representatives and The
Generation Representatives. Whilenogroupdirectlyhasauthorityovertheother,it istohelp
distinguishtheroles.

Section2
The Student Body Representatives shall consist of, the President, Vice President,
Secretary,Treasurer,PublicRelationsOfficerandHistorian.

Section3
The Generation Representatives consist of the GenerationRepresentativesofgradesnine
(9)throughtwelve(12).

Section4
EachpositionoftheStudentCouncilcanbeheldbycertaingradelevels,asfollows

1. President:12thGrade
2. VicePresident:11thand12thGrade
3. Secretary:9th12thGrade
4. Treasurer:9th12thGrade
5. PublicRelationsOfficer:9th12thGrade
6. Historian:9th12thgrade
7. Generation Representatives : Applicants may only apply for the position of their
risinggradelevel.

Article6
President

Section1
The duty of the President is to lead the Student Council forward, using experience and
knowledge to better lead the decisions made by the group. To represent the high school
without biased opinions on each grade, the President must make decisions that are for the
benefitofthepeoplenomattertheirorigin.Thepresidentfulfillstheirdutyby

1. LeadingtheStudentCouncilinallofficialmatters,
2. Toassumetheoverallresponsibilityforthecouncilsactivities,
3. Represent the High School Student Council in all necessary school functions, or
appointamembertoactasthatrepresentative,
4. Hastheauthoritytomaketheexecutivedecisionsbasedontheopinionsofthestudent
council members. Each member of the studentcouncilwillhaveavoiceandopinion,
howeverwhenitcomestospecificitems,thefollowingapplies

a. When decisions are made based on the views of the High School, the
Presidentmustrelyon
i.
VicePresident
ii.
GradeRepresentatives

b. When decisions are made based on executive matters such as financial

activities, official decisions, and official public relations, the president must
relyon
i.
VicePresident
ii.
Treasurer
iii.
PublicRelationsOfficer

Section2
OathofOffice
BeforethePresidententersontheexecutionoftheiroffice,theyshallreadtheofficial
ASFGHighSchoolStudentCouncilConstitution,andperformtheOathofOffice,

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of
President of the High School Student Council, and will to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect and defend the ConstitutionoftheAmericanSchoolFoundation
ofGuadalajaraHighSchoolStudentCouncil."

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Section3
If the President feels the needtomakeanexecutivedecision basedonthe knowledgeand
evidence, they should consult with the Assistant Principal and Principal and in cases
overruling the opinion of the Student Council. The Council must be notified of such
movement by the President. Seeing that some votes and opinions may be in the interests
solely of the student member rather than that of the entire high school body, the president
mayseekfurtherconsultationwithAdministration.

Section4
The President is automatically the project managerforalleventsrelatedwiththeStudent
Council. They may delegate another member to take lead in the project, while maintaining
full authority. It is highly recommended for the President to delegate members to work on
variousprojectsandworktoleadtheteam.

Section5
The President is also in charge of coordinating the system for electionsfortheincoming
Student Council. That being creating an agenda as to how apply, run for office, and
induction. This also includes arranging for any meetings, ceremonies or assemblies
necessary.

Article7
VicePresident

Section1
The duty of the Vice President is to help thePresidentleadtheStudentCouncilforward,
usingexperienceandknowledgetobetterleadthedecisionsmade by theStudentCouncil.To
represent the high school without biased opinions on each grade, the Vice President must
make decisions that are for the benefit of the peoplenomattertheiroriginusinginformation
from the Student Body Representatives, the Presidents opinion and that of the otherStudent
Council members. If the Vice President feels the need to make an executive decision based
on the knowledge and evidence, the Vice President must notify the President, and continue
through the same process as mentioned above in
Article 7 Section 3
. The Vice President
shall also take the same Oath of Office asthePresident.TheVicePresidentfulfillstheirduty
by

1. BeresponsibleforupholdingtheCouncilsConstitution,
2. Evaluate all Student Council proceedings, events, and activities, to ensure they are
inlinewiththeseabovementioneddocuments,
3. During general meetings, the Vice President must insure that the meeting is running
smoothly,andeffectively,andthatallpresentmembersaresufficientlyengaged,
4. OverseetherecruitmentofnewstudentstoparticipateinStudentCouncil
5. TakefullresponsibilityoftheStudentCouncilwhenthePresidentisabsent.
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Article8
Secretary

The duty of the Secretary is toaidthePresidentbymakingofficialdocumentationsofall

actions and decisions made within the Council. The Secretary must work closely with the
President,andwillfulfilltheirdutiessuchas

1. Beresponsibleforpreparinganddistributinganagendaforeachmeeting,
2. Takeattendanceatmeetings,
3. Record all that is discussed during the meeting,andensurethateverythingontheagenda
isdiscussed,
4. Reportprogressmadeinanycouncilgoals,activities,orevents,
5. Communicatemeetingdatesandtimewellinadvance,
6. Helpmovethegrouptowardmeetingallofitsgoals.

Article9
Treasurer

The Treasurer is the head of the Student Council Treasury which consists oftheStudent
CouncilAccountandtheBudget,

1. Thetreasurershall
a. BeinchargeoftheStudentCouncilAccountandBudgetby
i.
Working with the Administration, President and Vice President on
assessing the current account balance every two months and setting a
budgetfortheschoolyear,
ii.
Documentthereceiptsofallpurchases,andthestandingbudgetatthestart
and end of each event that changes the monetary status of the student
councilbudget,
b. ReporttotheSecretaryonalltransactions,

Article10
Historian

ThejoboftheHistorianisto
beawareof,andworkingtohelpdocument,allHighSchool
events,
provide visual documentation of Student Council activities. To also keep up to date the
ASFGHSStudentCouncilwebpageandFacebookpage.

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Article11
PublicRelationsOfficer

The job of the Public Relations Officer is to provide an outstretched arm to the
community of the ASFG high school, where the Public Relations officer makes announcements
and to be the Student Council representative that student, teachers, department heads, and
community leaders can approach. To also keep up to date the ASFG HS Student Council
webpage and Facebook page. The Officer is also incharge of getting all Student Council
announcements out to the appropriate people, including information for bulletin boards and
DailyBulletin.

Article12
GradeRepresentatives

The Grade Representatives will serve as the head representation of their corresponding
grade representing the voice of the students, the Grade Representative will bring ideas and
concernsofthegradetoStudentCouncil,tobeaddressedatthenextmeeting.

Article13
TwelfthGradeRepresentative

The 12th Grade representative will serve as the head representation of the 12th grade.
Their primary goal is to be a connecting voice between the Senior Class and the Student Body
Representativesforallsenioractivities.Theseincludebutarenotlimitedto

1. AllSeniorHallwaydecorations,paintingoflockers,walls,couches,etc,
2. SeniorBikeDay,
3. SeniorSleepover.

Article14
EleventhGradeRepresentative

The 11th Grade representative will serve as the head representation of the 11th grade.
The representative will act as a liaison between the Student Council and the Junior Classforall
activitiesthataremutuallysharedinplanningorexecuting.

Article15
TenthGradeRepresentative

The 10th Grade representative will serve as the head representation of the 10th grade
Therepresentativewill actasaliaisonbetweentheStudentCouncilandtheSophomoreClassfor
allactivitiesthataremutuallysharedinplanningorexecuting.
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Article16
NinthGradeRepresentative

The 9th Grade representative will serve as the head representation of the 9th grade The
representative will act as a liaison between the Student Council and the Freshmen Class for all
activitiesthataremutuallysharedinplanningorexecuting.

Article17
RulesofIncidents

Section1
In the event of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or
inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shalldevolveonthe
Vice President, and the administration and remaining Student Council, may by law provide
for the case of removal, death, resignation or inability, both of the President and Vice
President, declaring what officer shall then act as President, and such officer shall act
accordingly,untilthedisabilityberemoved,oraPresidentshallbeelected.

Section2
All officers of the Student Council, shall be removed from office on impeachment for,
and conviction of, neglect to work, misconduct, disciplinary problems and not meeting
minimumacademicstandards.

Section3
In the event that the President and VicePresident,shouldforanyreason,beremovedthe
orderofsuccessionfollowsaslisted

1. Secretary,
2. Treasurer,
3. PublicRelationsOfficer,
4. Historian,

Section4
In the event that any other member below the Presidentshouldfindvacancyduringtheir
term, their position shall devolve on the Student Council, either for the duration of the time
until such member returns, appoint another member to that role. In the event that such
member shall not return, this will remain until the position is reelected upon, or if other
nonspecified arrangements are made that are agreed upon by the entire Council and
Administration.Whilethepositionisvacant,theirvotewillcountasanabstention.

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Article18
Impeachment

AStudentCouncilmembermaybeimpeachedforthefollowingbutnotlimitedto,
reasons
1. Failure to meet the semester grade requirement in all classes will result in the
administrationreviewingoftheStudentCouncilmemberforimpeachment,
2. Severebehaviourproblemsasstatedin
Article4Section1and2
,
3. DoesnotmeetthebasicdutiesoftheirindicatedroleintheStudentCouncil.

Article19
VotingRights

Section1
All Fixed Members (
Article 4 Section 2
), are given one vote each, decisions pass by a
simple2/3rdsmajority,unlessthereisaveto,

Section2
PresidentialandVicePresidentialVetoPower
Within the Student Council, the President and Vice President have one vote and a veto
abilitywhere

1. Intheeventofaveto,themembermusthavevalidreasoningforthedecision,
a. a primary reason could be that there is a negative impact on any member of
thestudentbody,
b. thememberisadvisedtoexplaintheirreasoningtothestudentcouncil,
c. thememberisadvisedalsototryfurtherreasoningwiththestudentcouncil,
2. The President may veto any action of the council, provided that his/her reason and
presentittothecouncilpriortotheimplementationoftheaction,
3. A veto ofboththePresidentandVicePresidentautomaticallyoverrulestheCouncils
voteandcanonlyrequestappealtotheHighSchoolAdministration,

Section3
OverrulingthePresidentialandVicePresidentialVeto
IfonlythePresidentorVicePresidentusestheirvetocapability,thefollowingapplies

1. Thecouncilmayoverridethevetobya3/4thsvote,

15

Section4
AdministrativeVeto
The Administration always has the capability to overrule the decisions made by the
StudentCouncilwithvalidreasoning,

1. The Administrationhavethe power tooverrideanydecisionoftheStudentCouncilin

the best interest of the student body, the veto power of the Administration is not
subjecttoappeal.

16

ChapterIV
ElectionsProcedures

Article20
ElectionRequirements

Section1
TheStudentBodyRepresentativescandidatesmustmeetthefollowing,

1. All grade and disciplinary requirements as mentioned in

Article 4 Section 2
, for
thelastquarterofthetimeofapplication,
2. Candidatesmayonlyrunforpositionswithgradelevelstheyareeligiblefor,
3. Oneletterofrecommendation,
4. Meetingallotherprerequisitessuchasmeetings,events,surveys,forms,

Section2
TheGenerationRepresentativecandidatesmustmeetthefollowing,

1. All grade and disciplinary requirements as mentioned in

Article 4 Section 3
, for
thelastquarterofthetimeofapplication,
2. Candidatesmayonlyrunfortheirrespectivegradelevel,
3. Oneletterofrecommendation,
4. Meetingallotherprerequisitessuchasmeetings,events,surveys,forms,

Section3
Current Student Council members may run for office of the upcoming year, and choose
torunforthesameoradifferentposition.

Article21
ElectionVotingProcedures

It is the responsibility of the High School Student Council, in the last month of each
schoolyear,toleadtheelectionoftheincomingstudentcouncil,
The High School body will elect together the Student Body Representatives, for the
following year, and it is the responsibility of each generation to elect their generation
representativeforthefollowingyear.
The student body will be gathered in the Fourth Quarter Student Assembly held usually
in the first week of June. Students will vote anonymously. Grade Representatives will only be
votedforbytheirgrade.

17

ChapterV
Events

Article22
Meetings

The Student Council will gather in the High School Office meeting room once a week.
The President will lead the council through the agenda with the assistance of the secretary who
will prepare the notes beforehand. In the event that there will not be time provided during the
school day once a week, the council should try to meet during break or after school. Council
membersmustactwithdecorumduringmeetings,followingArticle19.

Article23
MeetingRulesandProcedures

Student Council meetings will start right when the bell rings. Student Council members
should be seated andreadytobeginthemeeting,asattendancewillbetaken.If amembershould
be late to themeeting,theymustwaitoutsideuntil anappropriatemomenttoentertheroom,and
thus doing so discretely without interruption. If a member is in the room but not ready to
participate and is disrupting by either talking, using their electronics, or distracting others, they
willreceiveawarningandwillbemarkedtardy.
The meeting will be called into order by the President who will beginwiththeoverview
of the agenda. With the assistance of the secretary, the agenda will be projected for all to see.
Oncetheagendaisreviewedthepresidentwillbegintogoovereachpointindividually.
In order to speak, members must raise their hands and be called upon by the Vice
Presidentoradministrationmemberspresent.

Article24
Events

The Student Council will be in charge of planning, and assisting in multiple events
throughouttheyear.Theseeventsinclude,butarenotlimitedto

1. NationalHonorsSociety,
2. ConferencesandFairs,
3. StudentAssemblies,
4. OpenHouse,
5. Halloween,
6. StudentsDay,
7. ClubEvents,
8. BakeSales,
9. TalentShow.
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ChapterVI
TheConstitution

Article25
AbouttheConstitution

This serves to guide and lead the current and future student councils. As a baseline and
handbook to refer to, all studentcouncilsshouldabidetotheserulesandinstructions.Writtenby
the President of the 20142015 High School Student Council, Andrew Seibel, the constitution
will be officially signed and recognized on Tuesday the fourteenth of April, two thousand and
fifteen.

Article26
Amendments

Section1
Should a Student Council member wish to add or change an amendment, that member
should formally propose the idea to the student councilinameetingwiththeadministration.
The change should be thoroughly reviewed upon, and voted upon. Should the President or
Vice President voteagainstit whileusingveto,themembermaymeetwiththeothersandthe
administrationforfurtherconsultation.

Section2
ProvisionsforAmendingtheStudentCouncilConstitution
If the Council believes that the Student Council Constitution needs to be amended, then
thefollowingproceduremustbefollowed:
1. A meeting of the entire council must be held where the problem must be addressed
andasolutionsuggested,
2. AnyproposedchangesmustbeapprovedbytheAdvisorandPrincipalasappropriate,
3. The council will discuss the change and vote on amending at the meeting following
approvalbythePrincipalandAdvisor,
4. Threefourthsvoteisrequiredtomakethechange,
5. The Secretary is responsible making for changes to the official copy of the
Constitution,onceamendmentshavebeenacceptedbytheCouncil.

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Article27
ProcessforRatificationoftheStudentCouncilConstitution
In order for this Constitution to be ratified, a meeting must be held among all Council
officers. Prior to being voted on, the Constitution must have received unanimous approvalfrom
the officers, advisor, andprincipal.Avotewillbeheldtoratifyitandathreefourthsapprovalof
the Council is required. Once members have signed and taken the appropriate oaths, and if all
other requirements are met, then the Constitution will be considered ratified andwilltakeeffect
immediately. Furthermore, it is important to notice that the Constitution may only be ratified
pointbypoint,andneverasawhole.

Article28
FormatoftheCharter

The charter is written in a formal formatting, starting with the introduction page and the
index. All information is written by Chapter, which is the overview of the topic, and
consequently articles, which address specific pointswithintheidea.Alltitlesaretobewrittenin
bold with proper capitalization, and some cases with the use of italicize. Alltitlesshouldbeleft
align with the exception of the ChapterTitles.Paragraphsorsectionsshouldnotbebrokenupin
pagebreaks,rathershifteddownforamorecompletelook.

Section1
ChapterFormat
The Constitution is primarily divided by Chapters, to which their titles should entail the
word Chapter, followed by their corresponding roman numeral, and below the title of the
chapter.Thetitleshouldbecentered.Allchaptersshouldstartonanewpage.

Section2
ArticleFormat
Articles will be titles in bold, along with their corresponding number. The name of the
article will be written on the line below, in bold italics. The descriptive paragraphs will be
written below with one line gap betweenit,andthetitle.Theparagraphwill beindented.All
wording throughout an article should not end with a period until the last word of the article
unlesstherearelargeornumerousfullparagraphs.

Section3
SectionFormat
Sections are to divide the articles, and like the articles, should be written in bold with
their corresponding number, and name in bold italics, however with a twopoint indentation
forthetitle.Theparagraphwillfollowimmediatelywithoutalinegap,andbeindented.

20

Section4
Clauses,SubClauses,SubSubClauses
Clauses through sub sub clauses are in the same formatting as listing, starting with
numerals, letters, then roman numerals. Clauses will begin with one line gap below the
preceding paragraph that should always end in a semicolon. Each clause should end with a
comma unless it is the last word of the article, to which shall end with a period. This
formatting has been followed through the entire charter with the exception of this article,
Article23,

Examplebelow,

Chapter#
ChapterName
Article#
ArticleName
Section#
1. Clause
a. SubClause
i.
SubSubClause

21

Signatories

TheConstitutionalOath

I, ___ ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the
High SchoolStudentCounciloftheAmericanSchoolFoundationofGuadalajarathatIwillbear
true faith and allegiance to the same that I take this obligation freely, without any mental
reservation or purpose of evasion and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the
officeonwhichIamabouttoenter.

____________________________________________________________
Mr.GabrielLemmonMr.BrianZinkMrs.SerenaMillstone
HighSchoolPrincipalHighSchoolAssistantPrincipalHighSchoolCounselor

__________________________________________________
AndrewSeibelReginaTorres
President
VicePresident

__________________________________________________
SergioDazCarloAzzolini
Secretary
Treasurer

__________________________________________________
DiegoMuozPalomaCaldern
PublicRelationsOfficer
Historian

__________________________________________________
CesareoEscobedoSantiagoGarcadeQuevedo
12thGradeRepresentative
11thGradeRepresentative

__________________________________________________
DanielaGonzlezHaydenLoiseau
10thGradeRepresentative
9thGradeRepresentative
22

23