Kozak Korner #36. June 05^th, 2026

Democracy in Action: KIS Students Elect New SecStuCo Executive

Author: Bob Hume 

Running for office is scary. 

You put your name on a ballot. You tell people what you believe. You stand in front of an audience. You answer questions. You hope people will support you. Then you wait to find out if they do. 

In May, a small group of highly-motivated KIS students chose to do exactly that. 

Over three weeks, the candidates for the 2026–27 Secondary Student Council Executive secured nominations and campaigned across the school. They designed posters, created slogans, recorded videos, spoke with voters, answered questions, and prepared for a public forum. Some worked with campaign teams. Others preferred one-on-one conversations. All of them accepted the same challenge: asking their peers for trust. 

By election day, the campaign had become one of the most active in recent memory. 

A record 45 nomination forms had been submitted, placing thirteen candidates in four races. Students debated issues, compared ideas, and followed opinion polls as the election unfolded. By the time voting closed at the end of Period 7 on Friday, May 29, seventy of seventy-eight eligible voters had cast a ballot -- an extraordinary turnout of approximately 90%. 

The election produced a new Executive team. Artem M was elected President, Nikita R was elected Vice-President, Yana Z was elected Treasurer, and Leo CG was elected Secretary.  

But the story of this election is larger than the final results. What made it special was the way it was conducted. Outside of school, politics is often a full-contact sport. Success is measured in defeated opponents. Disagreement can become hostility. Winning can seem more important than understanding. 

At KIS, the current cohort of secondary students chose a different path. 

The candidates wanted to win. They campaigned hard. Yet throughout the process, they were repeatedly reminded that elections should reflect school values: honesty, respect, responsibility, and fairness. 

The result was something surprisingly rare. 

Students competed seriously without treating one another as enemies. 

Candidates challenged ideas without attacking people. Voters asked tough questions. Campaigns adapted and improved. When polls showed candidates ahead or behind, the response was not panic or anger. It was simple and effective: work harder, communicate better, and keep going. 

The Candidate's Forum, hosted by outgoing SecStuCo President, Director of the Executive Election, and Class of 26 Graduate Sofiya S, brought the campaign to its conclusion on May 29. Candidates delivered prepared speeches, answered challenge questions, and responded to questions from the audience. Every candidate received equal time to explain why they wanted to serve the student body. 

At the same time, students were also making another important decision. 

As part of a World Governments project, students had spent months studying democratic institutions and writing a new set of Secondary Student Council by-laws. (See Sidebar: Student-Led Referendum Approves New SecStuCo By-Laws.) 

Taken together, the election and referendum created something unusual: a small-scale model of democracy that actually worked. 

Students organized campaigns. Voters informed themselves. Candidates accepted defeat gracefully. Winners accepted responsibility. A community discussed its future and made decisions together. 

In the days after the election, the newly elected Executive took an oath of office promising to uphold the by-laws, represent Kozak values, and serve the student body with honor, responsibility, and fairness. 

That may be the most important result of all. 

The purpose of democracy is not simply to choose winners. 

It is to give communities a way to make difficult decisions together while remaining a community afterward. 

For two weeks in May, KIS students showed exactly what that can look like. 

“This was actually my third year running for StuCo, so I’m really grateful for the trust and support students have shown me over the years,’ said newly-elected StuCo President Artem M. “If I could give one piece of advice to students who consider running in the future, it would be this, the titles are nice, but the real reward is creating something meaningful for the community and seeing that it’s appreciated.”