As the 2008-2009 school year began winding down last spring, the Student Council presidential election was in full swing. Three teams of candidates competed for students’ votes as they gave reasons through songs, speeches, and posters, as to why they were the most capable of holding the responsibility of being co-presidents of the Ames High student body. Throughout their campaign, Cory Baughman and Seth Forsgren urged students to “imagine” a brighter future for Ames High. After a tight race, Baughman and Forsgren were elected as the student body co-presidents. In the first few weeks of their administration, the two have already taken action to help make the dreams of students’ imaginations become reality. One accomplishment that has taken place this year was the Club Fair held last month, which allowed students to find out more about the wide variety of clubs at Ames High. The co-presidents also chose to help out the math department by matching Mr. McGrory’s contribution of $600, which will go toward purchasing graphing calculators. The issue of the shortage of microwaves within the cafeteria has also been addressed; two new microwaves have been ordered and will be installed the cafeteria in the near future. (this may change by the time the issue comes out?) Though the co-presidents have taken care of a few issues, their work is far from over. As they stated last year, they are working towards replacing the posters in the hallway with photographs featuring more recent students and are thinking about possibly extending the photos into the athletic hallway. Forsgren also confirmed that parts to fix a broken drinking fountain upstairs were coming, as well as parts for the doors to the courtyard to help make sure that they will remain open for students. Another plan that the co-presidents hope to put into motion is Jeans From Blue to Green, a fundraiser supported by Cotton Inc. that would take donated jeans to be made into insulation for houses affected by natural disasters. The fundraiser is set to happen all through the month of October. The co-presidents rely on Student Council to help them take care of business around the school. Student Council meets every Wednesday before school at 8:30 in Mr. Stevens’ room to discuss issues within the school, evaluate events from the past and plan events for the future. The co-presidents have been pleased with how many students are participating in Student Council this year and the uniformity of grades represented. “It’s been a pretty good spread,” Forsgren said. “We have a full room every week.” Many accomplishments have been carried out through the help of committees within Student Council. “We’re kind of big on making committees this year,” Forsgren said. One such committee is in charge of the Stall Street Journal, a flyer containing both information and entertainment that is posted in the stalls of restrooms. Another committee, headed by senior Houston Breshears, is responsible for the calendar in the front lobby, which notifies students of coming events. During the Student Council meeting, the co-presidents encouraged open discussion amongst the members as they reviewed everything from the Homecoming dance to the artwork in the hallways to upcoming fundraisers. “We’re open to ideas,” Forsgren said. “I think quite a few of our programs this year are based off of ideas that students have had.” After Baughman and Forsgren’s victory in the election last spring, Baughman was quoted in a WEB article as saying, "We just don’t want to be the presidents that say we’re going to do everything and not do anything." Though their administration has only just begun, Baughman and Forsgren have followed through on their statement. With the help of Student Council, the co-presidents have proven that they will not take their responsibility lightly.