By Rebecca Fowler
Staff Writer
As most CHS seniors with Facebooks already know, there has been a shift of power in the senior class officers.
Due to “unusual circumstances” involving a Facebook comment, formerly elected president An Nguyen has been replaced by former vice president Mac Vu. Though this change took place unexpectedly over the summer, Vu expects a smooth transition and no apparent change for 2010 seniors.
“I know An was going to do a great job, and I want to continue what he started,” Vu said.
Both Vu and Principal Brad Hunt expect the year to carry on normally with plenty of fundraisers and preparation for prom and graduation on the to-do list.
“We want to make this as seamless and professional as possible,” Hunt said.
Though Nguyen is understandably disappointed with the change, he realizes that the senior class does not ultimately make decisions for the school—though it helps with proposing various fundraisers and activities—and that, as president, he would not have had an extreme amount of power.
“I would want to be president again if I had the chance,” Nguyen said. “But the only influence I would have would be to present ideas and with what’s happened, I wouldn’t be taken seriously.”
Nguyen said that the allotted two fundraisers for prom have already been established: class T-shirts and the talent show, leaving the president with few responsibilities other than acting as an overseer and CHS representative. The aspect of being president that Nguyen was most looking forward to, other than making a difference for 2010 seniors, was one that few get the privilege to do.
“One of the main reasons I ran for president was to be able to speak at graduation,” Nguyen said. “And if there was any way I still could, I would do it in a heartbeat.”
The basis for the issue began on Facebook and ended with the involvement of parents and the administration. However, Nguyen claims people have come to take social networks too seriously and that they should be used for fun. Hunt, on the other hand, expects a certain amount of responsibility to be placed on the class president when he or she is elected both in and out of school.
Though there will not be a vice president, senior class operations are continuing as planned, and the rest of the class representatives will keep their former positions, with Caitlin Matheny as secretary, Andy Tabor as treasurer and Emily Mankin as historian. With these members of the class remaining unchanged, the senior officers anticipate no trouble making the 2009-10 year one to remember.
Though some were upset about this change, Hunt stated that both Nguyen and the administration felt it was best for the student body.
“I don’t want any spite towards this or anger from the administration,” Vu said. “An has been a friend of mine since the sixth grade, and I hate to see him leave.”
The senior class officers have a long road ahead of them, with a prom fund currently totallin $2,500 for a dance that will likely cost $55,000.
