Dear Fellow Tritons. . . a Letter from Student Body President Jacob VanOoyen

Dear Fellow Tritons. . . a Letter from Student Body President Jacob VanOoyen

Jacob VanOoyen, Staff Writer, Advanced Journalism

Dear fellow Tritons, 

My name is Jacob VanOoyen, and I am your 2022-2023 Student Body President. I am writing this letter to inform everyone about upcoming events, what to get involved with. 

With school now underway and having had one full week under our belt, it is time to get involved and show that Triton spirit. The back-to-school dance is next week Friday the 16th. This dance will be held after the home football game in the Commons. This dance is very low-key but so much fun; in my opinion, one of the best events at Notre Dame and a great way to meet friends.

 Fall Fest Week is coming faster than you would think and that also means all of the traditions that come with it. Dress Down Days, T.G.B., and the big Fall Fest Dance. 

For a little breakdown of these events during Fall Fest Week student government gets themed dress-down days approved by the administration for students to dress according to the themes. To be able to dress in these themes a pin must be purchased and all money raised from these pins will be donated to the Fall Fest service project. You’ll learn what that service project is at the start of Fall Fest Week. 

T.G.B. stands for THE GREAT BATTLE which is a series of competitions between grades and class using all different types of skills. There will be a final battle during Fall Fest week to see who will be crowned the T.G.B. champions. The Fall Fest dance is a semi-formal dance. Typically people go get dinner and pictures before coming to the dance where there will be a DJ with amazing lighting and the gym open for various sports and activities. 

 In addition to attending events, you can also help plan them. This year’s T.G.B. committee is in the process of being formed and is a great way to get involved with planning events. The first meeting is this Wednesday the 7th at 7:25 a.m. in Frau’s room by the Main Office. 

Freshmen, this one is for you! Student government elections are also coming up. As freshmen, there are limited student government positions to apply for. You can run to be freshman class president or to be part of the Senate or Outreach Branch, the service arm of student government. As a freshman class, you will vote to elect your president and for the senate, a panel will select four members, and for outreach, a panel will select two members. 

Finally, some words of advice–high school is what you make of it. It is up to you to get involved and be an active member of the school. Being able to have those events and the ability to look forward to them makes the school year so much more enjoyable. So get out there, be active, be creative, and be the best version of yourself. 

                                                                                                         –Jacob VanOoyen ‘23