Matt Nadel

As debate team co-president, communications junior Matt Nadel spends his weekdays assisting novice debaters and his weekends competing in difficult tournaments.

“I work with the rest of the [debate team] officers to coordinate a mentorship program for novice debaters, expose the team to a variety of learning and competition opportunities, and maintain a team atmosphere that celebrates hard work and commitment,” Nadel said.

Nadel has been a part of the debate team since his freshman year, and he has competed in both national, state, and local circuits. His main events are Original Oratory, which involves writing and memorizing a 10 minute speech, and Congressional Debate, an event where students discuss the pros and cons of different pieces of legislation.

“At the beginning of this year, I was incredibly humbled at the University of Florida’s Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament, where I won first place in Original Oratory out of over 100 speakers,” Nadel said. “I also experienced success during my freshman year: I placed first in Novice Congressional Debate at a tournament called Sunvitational.”

Nadel was an officer his sophomore year, and decided to apply for team president. In order to be selected, he wrote an essay and completed an interview with a panel that included communications dean Angela Anyzeski, social studies teacher Melissa Gifford, and last year’s team co-presidents and team captains.

“My favorite part of being president of the Speech and Debate Team is watching the novices grow as speakers, debaters, and people,” Nadel said. “When I was a freshman, the team gave me such a comfortable and supportive home, and it is so gratifying to lead a team that encourages other students to think critically, express themselves, and form indomitable bonds.”

Tiffany Abreu

Every Friday during lunch, communications senior Tiffany Abreu becomes immersed in a world that includes cherry blossoms, colorful-haired protagonists, and quality animation. Abreu is co-president of the Dreyfoos Genshiken club, a club for students with a passion for Japanese media.

“I’ve been watching anime since sixth grade. I’m not sure how to explain the appeal of it; they’re cartoons any kid would enjoy, but most of them have more elaborate plots than the shows we normally see for kids,” Abreu said. “Some of them are just silly fun to watch. It’s an entire medium and I can’t really capture that.”

Abreu applied to be president in her sophomore year, and to be elected, she had to display her passion for the club by constructing a speech and being elected through a democratic vote.

“There are always three presidents in power at any one time. This year, that is communications junior Megan Horan, visual senior Victor Payton, and myself,” Abreu said. “Each candidate gives a speech on why they want to be president and what they can do for the club, then each club member, including the candidates, has a given number of votes based on how many president spots are available. Once president, you can only be removed if you miss too many meetings or voluntarily step down.”

As a president, Abreu picks which new episode of anime the club should watch each week. Presidents also organize events for members, such as Secret Santa parties, and shops where members can swap their anime merchandise. Abreu encourages anyone curious about anime to join the club and foster friendships.

“I think there’s a bit of a stigma surrounding anime and the people who watch it. There’s a stereotype of people who obsess over it and take it as the highest definition of Japanese culture: weeaboos,” Abreu said. “The club members are very aware of this stigma – I’ve noticed a lot of them used to be bullied for their love of anime. We’ve taken to calling each other ‘weebs’ affectionately and jokingly, turning what was once a shame into an inside joke we share. Like any club, Genshiken is about finding people who share your interest, and taking pride in it.”

Chris Zarcadoolas

From creating eye-catching campaign posters to planning the details of the pep rally, the work of theatre junior Chris Zarcadoolas, the junior class co-president, is never over.

“The class council president’s main job is to oversee everyone and make sure they are doing their jobs, and to find out how to help if any help is needed,” Zarcadoolas said. “The president is also supposed to lead the meetings and keep in close contact with all other members of the council.”

Being elected to class counsel was not an easy task, but Zarcadoolas and his co-president theatre junior Bridget Perrotta had a year of presidential experience behind them. The presidents put up numerous posters around the school and used Instagram and Facebook to campaign for re-election.

“[Perrotta and I] were president in sophomore year and we really enjoyed it,” Zarcadoolas said. “We both had a lot of fun and we felt that we did a pretty good job so we decided to run again. We put up posters and used social media sites in order to get our names and faces out there.”

The class council president plays a large role in organizing the Spirit Week pep rally. This year, the junior class had the theme of “American Horror Story.” Zarcadoolas worked with other class council members to decorate the junior class bleachers and to create memorable pep rally events.

“I enjoy being a part planning the school events throughout the year, such as prom and pep rally. I also like fundraising and encouraging school spirit,” Zarcadoolas said. “My favorite part of being the president is encouraging everyone to do their best and seeing everyone work together to make everything come out as best as it can.”