Three out of four candidates – Julie Scott, Danielle Looney and Jeremy Way – will be participating in this year’s Town Hall; an event which was created in 2021. During this event no one will be allowed inside except the students who helped in the creation.
Town Hall is a complete student run event showing zero bias to any of the candidates allowing there to be a fair and equal opportunity to everyone running. Voting this year takes place April. 8. and the Town Hall live stream takes place April 1 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium. It can be viewed on LHS Publications Youtube channel.
Every year a group of students dedicate multiple hours to make sure Town Hall can come to life and the people can be informed. This event is not just for the parents, students can watch the live stream too. (Link to the 2024 livestream). It is just as important, if not more, for the students to watch and become informed.
Only residents of the Wentzville School District have the opportunity to vote in these elections.
“[Town Hall] not only allows the public to be informed about the candidates, it also can help voters learn about policies on the ballot, and invigorate them to go out and vote,” Advertising Manager, Avery Bowen (12) said.
This year students will be navigating what is the best way to create the best environment for the candidates, having to take in mind the spring musical. Students will be using the auditorium, considering the school’s musical is in production this may cause for some complications.
The event will take place in two parts; part one will be questions from the community, a way for candidates to see what the community wants to know and a way for voters to have almost a one on one “interview”.
“[It] is important because it gives the community the opportunity to almost have a one on one interview with the candidates,” Co-Executive Producer, Lilly Brown (12) said.
For Town Hall to be able to succeed, everyone who is involved must do their part. There are four committees, two moderators, and two executive producers.
The Co-Executive Producers will ensure everything runs smoothly. They create committees, decide the best dates to meet, and plan everything that needs to be done. As this is student led, which means no teacher involvement, it is imperative that we have them.
This year students who wanted this role auditioned and will be selected from an unbiased source. Once chosen moderators will create a script and will be the “face” of Town Hall. Moderators are the students who will be leading and guiding the candidates throughout the stream.
One of the first and most important committees is the Research Team. Students who are a part of the Research Team will be researching the Board of Education candidates. After doing so they will need to come up with questions for the second part of Town Hall; questions directed to specific candidates. These questions will be read by the Moderators.
To ensure people are informed about the production of Town Hall an Advertisement Team vitale. Students who are a part of this team will create logos, social media posts, and other advertisements that will be needed for the event.
Students who are more interested in the technical aspects have two options: Production Team and the Livestream Team. The Production Team will be assisting the producers throughout the whole event. Students in this committee will be in charge of set, lights, sound, timer, and working to help aid in the productivity of Town Hall. Students will also be in charge of the Town Hall Website, a website to give in-depth information on not only the candidates but the hardworking students involved.
Our Livestream Team will be in charge of the livestream, which allows the voters to be informed. There will be around three-four camera operators, making sure the livestream runs smoothly.
The students have a specific goal; to give all candidates the opportunity to introduce themselves, explain their platforms, and answer questions from their community.
