Prompted by a persuasive essay written in the 2023-24 academic year about why Saint Joseph School needed to bring back its student council, middle school leadership was elected on Sept. 27 by students in grades six through eight.
For a writing assignment, then-seventh-grader Sam Small wrote about how he felt the middle school students should have more opportunities to express their ideas to the school administration and be part of decisions affecting them. His voice was heard, as were those of 13 other middle-schoolers who ran for the seven open positions on the SJS student council for the 2024-25 school year. They campaigned for a week before the election and gave speeches touting the reasons their peers should vote them into office.
The private Catholic school in Martinsburg had a student government until the COVID-19 pandemic.
Winners of the election are:
  • President: Elianna Kaudy, eighth grade
  • Vice president: Isaac Antonetti, eighth grade
  • Secretary: Presley Moulton, seventh grade
  • Treasurer: Grace McLaughlin, sixth grade
  • Sixth-grade representative: Luke Harding
  • Seventh-grade representative: Alana Espenlaub
  • Eighth-grade representative: Sam Small