At the beginning of this quarter, elections were held to determine the student council for the 2026-2027 school year. The new council are: Leina Wong (President); Lexi Kamikawa (Vice President); Hannah Garces (Spiritual Chair); Keira Chang (Treasurer); Noah Pfeiffer (Public Relations Officer); and Sarah Bryer (Secretary).
Three of these members, Wong, Garces, and Byrer, are returning officers, with Garces and Bryer renewing their roles as Spiritual Chair and Secretary, respectively. Wong, this year’s Public Relations Officer, will step up into a new role as the president. Pfeiffer (Public Relations), Chang (Treasurer), and Kamikawa (Vice President) are new to the group and eager to serve. Christina Yasutomi, Student Activities Director, shared this piece of advice for the new council: “I am honored to have the privilege to work alongside such a talented and enthusiastic team. As stated in our ESLR about love, it is my hope and prayer that these young leaders will continue to cultivate love in our community with grace, as we live, learn and play together. While we may not all fully agree on everything, we will listen well, respect each others’ differences, and strive to make our school a better place for all.”
As Vice President, Kamikawa summed up her goals as such: to give back to the school, help others grow, and guide the future generation of student leaders. She aims to achieve those goals by adding events and making changes to the current dress code. Kamikawa also looks forward to working with the middle school and other underclassmen in order to create a more unified school. She wants the student body to know that their concerns won’t fall on deaf ears.
Pfeiffer, the new Public Relations Officer, shared that he decided to run for office because the he wants to see more school spirit in students. He believes that Spirit Week should feature opportunities for talents that haven’t been showcased while also having more types of competitions, like those involving art, sports and even computer gaming. As the future Public Relations Officer, Pfeiffer hopes to serve as a “liaison between the students and the voting/student council in order to make a cohesive and coherent environment where everyone feels that their voice is heard.” Pfeiffer wants to assure the student body that he is ready to put in the work beyond what is expected of an average Public Relations Officer, serving his community so that they may have the best year possible.
Chang, while new to the student council, is a veteran student leader, having served in her class council for the past two years where she fell in love with the aspect of working with a team. In class council, Chang planned socials and kept her grade organized, and she is keen to put her skills and experience to work for the student council. She felt compelled to run for a position that would allow her “to create a more lasting impact.” As Treasurer, Chang would help set the council’s budget, oversee sub-committees for events like intramurals and banquet, manage spending, and keep financial records.
Although she has been a Christian since she was seven, Garces shared that she had a significant spiritual experience in eight grade during Christian Emphasis Week that has transformed her faith. Garces will return to her role as Spiritual Chair and wants to build on what she has learned from serving this year. She wants the student body to know that despite her role in Christian leadership, she is by no means a “perfect Christian.” Rather, she hopes to model what a real relationship with God looks like and encourage others to develop their own relationships with God. For next year, Garces already has some plans in mind. She hopes to start a prayer locker, a locker where students can put their prayer requests, which will be prayed over by Campus Ministry Team (CMT) prayer team members alongside Charles Poore, the Christian Ministries Coordinator. Garces also also wants to start an Alpha Youth group led by the CMT.
Like Garces, Bryer sees next year as a continuation of her efforts to serve the student body. She shared that this year taught what it means to be a leader and how she can make a difference. As Secretary, Bryer is responsible for taking notes during all meetings and sending out emails to remind her council members about the dates and agenda of upcoming meetings. This year, Bryer hopes to run a forum where students can submit their feedback to school leadership. She shared that student council officers may seem intimidating to younger students and she wants students to know that council officers are just “normal kids who want to see change.” She wants students to know that the council is very approachable and are keen to hear students’ feedback.
From Public Relations Officer to Student Body President, Wong carries a deep passion for service and fun. She also is keen to make changes with her expanded role and authority. For example, Wong wants to make banquets affordable by relocating them to the high school gym. As she will be a senior next year, Wong wants to make the most out of her last year of student leadership at HBA. She shared that being an extrovert, she loves to talk to people and hopes that anyone with ideas to make the school a better place should make sure to talk to her.
