Hi! I'm Mary Huerta and I’m running to be your Sophomore Class President. I am currently a Freshman at AAS and an advocate for improvement at our school. Our first year of High School has already been hard enough given our unfortunate circumstances, to add on to that we are missing a formative part of our high school career which would make adjusting to a new, in-person environment more difficult. I have many ideas to bring to our school, here are the points of my platform: 

As Sophomore Class President I will...

> Increase mental health awareness- 

The transition from Freshman to Sophomore year can be extremely difficult especially since most kids haven’t even been inside the school yet. That is why it is important we emphasize mental health awareness through mental health check-ins, extending our big sib program to sophomores, and opening an art therapy program.

> Expand Academy’s art programs- 

I know of many students who have a great passion for the arts but do not have a true way to express that. There are no events that can express students' creativity or nourish their need to learn about art. As of right now, only students in grades 11 & 12 can take art classes, I will push for this to change. I will ensure the student body has a substantial amount of resources for the arts such as clubs, classes, and summer programs. 

> Organize events to spread awareness about/ help marginalized communities-

Our school provides a Zoom event for important history months such as Black History Month and Women's History Month; I would like to make these an event that occurs in classes so not only will students become more educated on these topics but they will also get a break from their curriculum. 

>Offer a greater range of translation services for non-English speaking families- 

As the child of an immigrant whose first language is not English, I personally understand the struggles which non-English speaking families face when it comes to having to translate important documents. That is why as Sophomore Class President I would push for a greater amount of translators for school documents.

> Be a voice for students- 

I know how important it is to be heard. Since many do not have the time to be a member of the student government, I will provide a bridge from the student body to the student government.