The Paw Print

By Alexa Gola, Associate News & Features Editor; Elena Whitford, Arts & Entertainment Editor

The Local School Council (LSC) is a governing body that consists of student, faculty, parent and community representatives that holds public monthly meetings. Their responsibilities include managing a school’s budget and resources, overseeing a school’s improvement plan and “evaluating and selecting the school’s principal.” Since Payton’s 2025-2026 student representatives will be elected this Wednesday, students were invited to give speeches at the LSC Candidate Forum. Whether you couldn’t make it to the enrichment session or are looking for a recap, below are the Paw Print’s notes and highlights:

Anden Hong is a sophomore who has represented his grade in the student government for the past two years. He highlighted his experience in student government, including his efforts to help incoming freshmen through a project on the student government website and his work on student choice events. 

Ruhi Agrawal is a sophomore who has experience with community service through the Indo-American Center and Payton-Salazar Mentoring. She repeatedly put an emphasis on ensuring that every student’s voice is heard, saying, “I will bring to the LSC’s attention the various issues and challenges that students face on a daily basis.”

Zaahir Remtula is a junior and treasurer of Payton’s National Honor Society chapter. In his speech, he said, “We need leaders who will listen, take action, and work with students and staff” and promised to “try [his] best to be accessible and approachable to all students” if elected.

Kieran Blake is a junior who is on the Model UN, Scholastic Bowl and Paw Print executive boards. He noted his engagement in current events and politics, as well as “the development of a disconnect between the student body and the administration at Payton.” If elected, he promises to “ensure the student voice is always heard in LSC meetings.”

Kaavya Sumit is a sophomore who stressed the importance of transparency and communication within and outside of the LSC as well as funding for school facilities, ensuring students have a voice in their school’s curriculum and making the school a better place for everyone.

Declan Slavin is a junior who is involved in Science Olympiad, track, music and jazz band. He highlighted his experiences advocating for the student voice and his belief in the importance of strong, central student leadership. He also noted that it is often difficult for students to attend LSC meetings in person, and promised to make advocating for student voices a priority. 

Amina Mavlyankul is a freshman who was her middle school’s first student LSC representative. She emphasized her experience as a freshman student government representative at Payton, explaining how she would apply what she learned on the treasury committee to the LSC’s monetary responsibilities. She promised to “work hard to represent you and make sure the school is the best it can be.”

Sai Ariga is a junior who promised to be “transparent, proactive, and always approachable.” He proposed reinstating the student voice committee and said that “every one of us has earned the right to share our visions for the school.” He believes that “productive, strong communication is the best way to achieve our respective goals.”

Maia Daley is a junior and the student government PR chair. She believes that “being confident doesn’t just mean speaking loudly, it means standing up for what’s right” and highlighted the importance of having a representative that acts with integrity. She is also committed to “mending relationships that have previously been broken.”

Ethan Jackson is a junior and a captain of the boys’ cross country team. He underscored his previous experience working with the administration through both cross country and the FTC robotics team and promised to “be a servant to the student body” if elected.

Tra’Monti Williams is a junior on the boys’ cross country team. If elected, he promised to prioritize student voices and welfare, ensure that concerns are acted upon, establish lines of communication, promote “community of transparency” and an inclusive school culture. He said, “the voice of the many is the voice of me.”

Tvisha Heda is a sophomore who strongly believes in the importance of ensuring that the student voice is heard. She noted that most students aren’t necessarily aware of what the LSC does or how they can offer their input. To change that, she proposed creating Q&A sessions and visual displays that would invite students to attend LSC meetings.

Connolly Nugent is a junior who is involved in girls’ cross country, MathematiGals, Teens Talk Teeth and scholastic bowl. She offered several ideas on how the LSC could be made more accessible to students, including creating a shorter, more student-friendly LSC guide and monthly LSC update emails for those who cannot attend meetings.

Princesa Miranda is a student who regularly attends and speaks at LSC meetings. She believes that “every student deserves to have their voice heard without fear of being ignored or dismissed,” as well as an administration that is responsive to students’ concerns. If elected, she promises to be a voice of her peers.

Ava Carlson is a junior who has experience with coordinating college and career events for Payton students. She pledged to work with the admin and faculty and provided meaningful improvements to the quality of the student experience and hopes to expand the academic and social opportunities available.

Sora Schrank is a sophomore and student government representative. She is also the president and founder of Payton’s multicultural club, and emphasized her experience advocating for students in both roles. She proposed creating an LSC form where students can submit questions for the LSC to answer. 

Brock Bentley is a junior who is involved in Payton’s baseball and cross country team as well as the Cradles to Crayons and sports analytics clubs. Through his experiences, he has “come to believe that every student’s concern should be heard” and suggested implementing anonymous surveys, focus groups and interviews to help students express their concerns with the school.

Judah Cooper is a sophomore serving as the chair of the class of 2027 for the student government, a position he also held last year. He helped organize last year’s egg hunt and this year’s upcoming underclassman dance. During his speech, he emphasized that “my priorities are yours” and expressed his desire to add student choice in curriculum and scheduling changes.

Sonia Rosa Sifore is a junior who is President and Co-Founder of Salazar’s Futures. In her speech, she said, “I’m not just here to hold a title, I’m here to get things done.” She emphasized the importance of inclusivity and transparency in the LSC, as well as her passion for creating real opportunities for others.

At the conclusion of the forum, Principal Shabazz also gave a short speech praising the candidates for their courage to run for the LSC election and give speeches in front of their peers. She clarified that while three representatives will be elected, each student can only vote for one candidate and encouraged students who did not attend the speech event to watch the recording taken by Mr. Lee, which will be sent out soon.