Talking to Taira: an Interview with the President
As 2020 drew to a close, MGCI welcomed its new Student Activity Council (SAC). The Reckoner sat down with SAC President Taira Mehta to discuss her plans for the upcoming year.
Taira acclaimed her position by default, as she was the only candidate to run for President. She said that the main reason she wanted to run was that she “loved the idea of being able to guide the council in such unprecedented times.” She continued to say, ““I want to make sure that 2021, for everyone in this school, is something that we look back on and love. I think that especially in a time and period like high school where people are trying to figure themselves out, if you throw COVID in there, people have a really hard time connecting with each other. So that’s the job of the student council, to help connect people and make them feel like they’re a part of something larger than just themselves, part of a school community.”
Taira’s presidency itself is also unprecedented: she is the first Grade 11 student to ever serve in this position. Despite being younger than previous presidents, Taira is confident that she has the abilities required for the role. “I don’t think my age has anything to do with my competency, I also have the ability to figure things out quickly. My experience on student council outshines the fact that I’m in Grade 11,” she said.
Her experience on SAC can speak for itself. During the 2019-2020 school year, Taira served as the Social Convenor and was responsible for organizing our Winter Wonderland dance. She had also hoped to introduce grade lounges, but her plans were cut short due to the pandemic. Since our SAC elections were delayed until December, she was also part of the interim council last as the Spirit and Social Convenor. In this role, she hosted spirit events including Among Us tournaments and a gratitude initiative on Instagram.
In terms of how she plans to lead, Taira said that, “a lot of people think that student council is some sort of hierarchy, but I like to think of it differently. I like to think that I basically am an assistant there to inspire innovation and new ideas based on the visions that the rest of my council have, and I’m there to accommodate that.” She aims to focus on change and innovation, and is encouraging her fellow SAC members to try out all their craziest ideas.
They’ve already started to make changes by creating junior and senior roles in the place of single positions. Taira hopes this will allow younger students to have more of a voice on SAC, which has been historically dominated by older students.
One of Taira’s proposed initiatives is online mental health spaces, where students can relax, spend time with their friends, and in her words “vibe to music”. She hopes to hold social events such as games nights and movie nights. SAC is also working on connecting with small businesses to supply school merchandise for Marc Garneau.
All events will be online this year, so expanding outreach is a major concern for Taira. She wants to make sure that SAC is able to communicate with the student body to inform them about the events that are taking place, as well as initiatives such as sweater sales. She encourages students to follow the SAC Instagram @mgci.sac to stay informed.
SAC meets weekly using Zoom, and will be posting meeting minutes and agendas once all positions have been selected. Taira anticipates that their work will be very fast-paced in order to make up for the time that was lost due to the election delays. She emphasized that her biggest goal is to not let COVID impact our spirit as a community.
Finally, Taira had a message for all students, an excerpt from her campaign speech which was never released: “Hey Garneau! This year has been literally insane. COVID-19, whoever came up with quadmesters, and random stress has taken over my life, and I’m willing to bet it’s done the same to you. Life just doesn’t feel the same anymore. But look, even though quarantine is changing our lives, it doesn’t necessarily have to be for the worse. In fact I want you to give me the chance to make this the best year possible. It’s true that this past year has been insane, but I think it’s time to take back the memories and experiences that quarantine has stripped from us. As your SAC President, I’d be honoured if you let me make that a reality for our school. Stay safe Garneau. I can’t wait to make great memories.”
