Let's be a Democracy!

In our speech, we made it clear that we want tablets no matter what it takes!

We thought that our ambition, devotion, and clear goal would invigorate everyone. After your feedback today, we realized that we were very close minded to just that one main idea! Although tablets may be innovative, it's unreasonable for it to be our only idea for what to fundraise.

We honestly have your best interest at heart! We aren't going to force something you wouldn't want!

After elected, we will immediately set up a Poll Box in the CGS Hallway, where anyone can insert a Ground Breaking Idea! This idea will be a potential focus for the intensive fundraising we intend to do this year! After all ideas are inserted, we will then set up a vote for all of CGS (including CGS faculty) to decide what our focus will be! Our idea of Tablets still stands, though it's up to you if you really want it or not.

We really want this year at CGS to be very interactive and democratic!  We won't just set up events, everyone will! If we have a huge event we want to plan, like a CGS Prom, you can have a say in what you want out of it! If we want to sell CGS merchandise, we will ask you what types of merchandise you want. It's up to you! 

If you are one of those people who thought tablets were unreasonable, and impossible to fund, then speak up! Create your own idea and we will do everything in our power to fund it!

From now on, we aren't going to be telling you what we want. We will be asking you!

We do however encourage you all to consider our ideas. We care about you, and try to consider how can we make life at CGS easiest and the most enjoyable. We stand by our claims, and we intend to make this the best school year you've ever had.

Thanks everyone who gave feedback! Please reconsider your vote for us, because as Aydin put it, "A vote for the Tie Party is not just a vote for change, but a vote for exponential growth tied up in a classy bow"

Speeches

If you weren't here today for the speeches, or wanted to hear what we said again, you can watch the video of the Tie Party's speeches here.
(video credit to Anna Spadone; thank you very much)

I'll work on getting a transcript up tomorrow or so, and I'll look for the other candidates speeches so that if you need/want to view them, you can.

If you have any questions regarding something said (or anything on the site, really), please feel free to text one of us, chat us on fb, leave a comment, or (for the truly daring) approach us in real life.

Are the Tablets Worth It?

(This post is done in the format of the argument, followed immediately by our rebuttal.  Later it switches to our argument and the reasons we support it.  There is an important note at the bottom; if nothing else, read that)

Arguments against:

• They're expensive

This is the biggest problem I can see right now.  Tablets range from $100, to prices painful to look at, and the quality varies depending on the price and on the maker.  We'd probably go with a 3-4 star model for $100, or possibly a 3.5-5 star model for $150.  This would put the fundraising goal at around $30,000-$45,000, if we assume approximately 300 students attend CGS.  This seems extremely expensive, but the price can be lowered through school discounts, or discounts for ordering in such bulk.  I'm currently in the process of finding out how we'd acheive these reductions in price, and will keep people updated on fluctuations in our estimate unless we have a definite idea of cost.

• The money could send multiple kids on study tours

Yes, it could; by one person's estimate, an approximate price of $30,000 would send 7.5 kids abroad on a full scholarship (that last half kid is getting cut in half, I suppose...).  However, purchasing tablets would affect everyone in CGS for a much longer time.  Yes, study tours are amazing experiences, but raising funds for scholarships only affects a couple kids per year for only a couple weeks.  The tablets would last at least 2-3 years, probably more if cared for well; they can be reused and will continue to help more students for longer periods of time

*a note: we are NOT anti-study tour, or anything like that.  We're just trying to find an option that will help more people than scholarships*

• Theft/breakage

Please be gentle with the tablets if we manage to pull this off.  Don't throw them across rooms, even if they're in your backpacks.  And keep an eye on them when they aren't in your hands.  However, in the case of loss or breakage we have two options:
1) you break it, you buy it
2) have some extras
If you break it, you should be expected to pay for it in some way.  I'm sorry, but that's just fair.
Most people have laptops or tablets of their own already; those who bring their own technology to school can deny the option of a tablet; we can use these extras in the case of breakage or theft.

• Mainstream teachers may be less than enthusiastic

I've had classes where mainstream teachers love the kids using laptops, and I've had classes where they give detentions to kids who have any sign of technology on their desks.  If we manage to get the tablets, we will definitely be talking to mainstream about the option of tablets.  If your teacher still adamently refuses, then just keep the tablet in your backpack for the class.  Yes we're trying to be more green, but if the teacher will fail you if you don't have looseleaf or a notebook please just accept that and do things their way. 

Arguments for:

• They're great for characters

I use my dad's iPad to practice stroke order for chinese characters.  I don't know how the tablets work for other languages, but just the fact that you can magnify complex characters and words in order to get it right is very helpful.  I've learned a lot using a tablet to help me study.

• They're more green

This point extends beyond us.  Schools use a lot of paper.  Last year CGS ran out of paper in the Mac Lab; I had to hand in some essays printed on the backs of old assignments (and sometimes even on the fronts of assignments).  We want to help in any way we can, and by eliminating the need for paper we hope to maybe make an impact (even if it is small). 

• They're better for your back

Textbooks and notebooks are heavy, especially if you have to walk long distances to the school or to your home train station.  Many students - including myself - complain of back pain from too-heavy backpacks (or sometimes the backpacks themselves are destroyed; stop me in the hall tomorrow and I'll show you my strap).  Students sometimes carry up to 15 or 20 pounds in textbooks, notebooks, pens, etc all day, and it's contributing to health problems later on in life.  A tablet is much lighter, and carries more books than any backpack.

• They will help with organization

You'll never have to sprint to your locker for a book or notebook.  All of your course materials and notes will be on the tablet.  And you won't have to be concerned with losing handouts or homework; it will all be right there.   Also, calendars will make keeping track of due dates easier because you can set it to automatically remind you of an upcoming assignment.

• They're better for class than hard copies

Notetaking will be far easier using tablets.  You can write notes in the margins, highlight, underline and make notes on the actual text, not just write the notes on a separate sheet of paper.  The same goes for powerpoints or other presentations the teacher does; you'll be able to enlarge text if necessary, and make notes as you follow along.



I would like to take this time to note that purchasing $30,000 of tablets is a goal, and a lofty one at that.  Like I said during my speech today, most people's reaction is "that's ridiculous.  How can we possibly make that much money?"  And I stand by what else I said during my speech: if we apply ourselves and commit ourselves to multiple fundraising events, we can get there. 

I also ask people to be patient.  We will try our best to get the best deals, and to make as much money as we can, but it's very possible (in fact likely) that this idea could involve 2 or more years of fundraising in order to accomplish.  So if graduation comes along and you don't have tablets, be patient.  $30,000 is a massive amount of money; if we manage to make even half of that - even just a third - it will have been worth it.  This plan will hinge on how willing you all are to fundraise in order to acheive it. 

The most important thing to us is that even if we don't make our goal, we can look back on the year and the events and say "it was worth it".  We want CGS to have an amazing year, and we can do that at least in part through fundraisers. 

Maybe a fundraiser is fun, but only makes a couple hundred dollars. 

Who cares how little that is?  We're a couple hundred dollars closer than we were before the fundraiser, and we had a great event.  Even if we lose money, what's best for the CGS population always comes first.  If you guys don't have fun, then the fundraiser was a miserable failure; if you guys do have fun, then regardless of profit, it was worth it.

The Tie Party

PRESIDENT: AYDIN S. COMBONI
CO-VP's: MATTY & SARAH
SECRETARY: DYLAN TAM
SOPHOMORE REP: LORRIN FERGUSON.
FRESHMAN REP: KATIA CHUCK

In The Tie Party, we are very serious when it comes to the greater good of the Center For Global Studies. 

We have the ideas, we have the approval, and we have the passion to make this school year be one for the history books. All we need is your support. 

If you've seen our ideas and fundraisers, then you must know that we honestly care about you and the future of CGS.

Events and Fundraisers

(Please view our mission before reading this)

To get tablets, CGS needs money. And this year as your Co-Vice Presidents, it is our job to fundraise it. Though we may not get to all of these, here are events we hope to do for this year!

-Movie Nights: Every month we want to hold a movie night.  We will watch a movie that you get to pick on our CGS BLOG! We hope to show movies from many cultures.

-Merchandise: SWEATSHIRTS, T-SHIRTS, BAGS, ACCESSORIES, YOU NAME IT. Bigger and better than ever before!

-Game Expos: At night time we will set up many awesome VIDEOGAMES and BOARD GAMES, in each of the classrooms and in the community room. Each Smartboard wll be hooked up with your favorites: Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Guitar Hero/Rockband, Mario Kart, Pokemon, and anything else you want to bring in (but let's keep it school appropriate).

-CGS Talent Show: Showcase your amazing skills, talents, or silliness on stage in the Community Room. And once we're done, the audience, and judges, will vote who will get a prize (to be determined).

-CGS Art Show: Much like the Talent Show, we will showcase your amazing tapestries and artwork for a prize (to be determined).

-CGS Bake Sale: (because food <3): We won't only be selling cookies and muffins. Let's sell foods from AROUND THE WORLD. We can even make it in the CGS Kitchen!

-CGS Lock-In: You and your friends may spend THE NIGHT in CGS! Enjoy movies, games and food, and see what happens in your school after hours!

-CGS Raffle: Two words: cash prizes. A more fun way of donating money!

-CGS Walkathon: Get exercise while supporting your school! For every mile walked, more money is donated to our school!

-CGS Carnival: At the end of the year, we will set up many carnival games, music, rides, booths, and food along the CGS parking lot and football field.

-CGS Prom: A CHEAPER alternative to the BMHS proms, and just as fun (if not more epic).

We are also very open to new ideas, and we want to make this year your best school year! We will try to execute these events the best we can.

If you want a tablet, if you have pride in our CGS community, and if you want to have an incredible year,

Vote Matty Wagar, and Sarah Breault for CGS Co-Vice Presidents.

Mission (Goals of Our Campaign)

Hey there CGS Student (or random internet stranger)!
We're Matty Wagar and Sarah Breault, and we're running for Co-Vice Presidents at the Center for Global Studies.  We'll outline our goals here, so you know what we want to do with this campaign:

Major-

• Are you exhausted of carrying around textbooks? Do you forget your books for world lit? Are your folders filled with too many papers? We've been discussing these problems that many students encounter, and we've come up with a solution:

                                                        Let us buy you a tablet.

          This may sound insane at first, but hear us out.  Fundraising is easier when there's a goal that we're all working towards together.  By our estimates, a set of CGS tablets will cost around $30,000.  Yes, that's a huge number.  But we truly believe that if we work together, then we can raise the majority of the money this year.  Some ideas for fundraisers that we have are
                          -Movie Nights
                          -Merchendise
                          -Video Game Expos
                          -A CGS Talent Show
                          -Bake Sales (because food <3)
                          -Car Washes
           And of course, we're open to new ideas and will definitely brainstorm.  It is also probable that we'll be able to negotiate a group discount with a dealer or manufacturer because we would be ordering the tablets in such a large quantity   Regardless, we acknowledge that this is a lofty price but we really believe that we can accomplish our goal.

• Most of us have heard (or said) that CGS is one big, happy [dysfunctional] family.  But apart from the potlucks, do we really actively build our community? 

                                           Our answer is no, at least not enough. 

          Matty and I are suggesting more school wide events; more pot lucks, a dance, and maybe even a lock in towards the end of the year.  We're also discussing a CGS Student Blog.  A stereotypical high school organization is the student paper.  McMahon has one, but there's nothing for CGS.  We're suggesting a student run blog which keeps people up to date with what's happening, and even a section for student submissions and discussions about the school or anything else. The blog will be more interactive than a regular newspaper and help us with our final major goal.

• The final goal that we have for CGS is perhaps the most important, because it affects the entire community:

                                                     Let's make CGS paper free.

         This is a theme that shaped all of our major goals in some way.  Textbooks are too heavy?  Let's aim to just eliminate them.  Can we make CGS a tighter community?  A newspaper might help, but how can we make that better?  Let's make it a blog. 
          Everyone knows that CGS uses a lot of paper.  Last year we ran out in the mac lab within the first month.  All the Chinese students know that Li laoshi has a tendency to use a lot of paper; she prints out her powerpoints, which is extremely helpful but uses huge amounts of paper.  So what if we used the tablets for this as well?  Follow along on your tablet; make notes, enlarge things, study later.  All the convenience of the printed slides and then some.  And what about the papers that Ms. Cawley has to send out?  Forms for McMahon or permission slips and such can use obscene amounts of paper (especially the handbook).  So what if we put those forms online (on the blog) and you print the last page, where you sign?  We'd save money (which can then go towards our other goals) and we'd save trees.

Minor-

• Our main minor goal centers around CGS field trips.  Everyone knows the study tours, but last year our field trips were cancelled because of inadequate funds.  Let's make that a priority this year (Aydin Comboni has plans to work on these; we'll be including it in our fundraising).  Field trips affect everyone; not every student at CGS will be able to go on a study tour, but many more of us can make the trip to Chinatown or Mitsuwa.  So let's try to make fun, affordable trips a possibility.

          Many people will look at this list and think it's too expensive, but we truly believe that if we all work together to fundraise we can make our goals, even if it has to stretch into next year or possibly beyond.  Our next post will outline some basic fundraising ideas (including the ones listed on this post and more).

           We hope you'll give us the chance to be your Vice-Presidents.  Matty and I aren't interested in another title for our resumes, or attracting a college's attention.  We're interested in leaving a legacy at this already incredible school; we're interested in making your years at CGS the best of your life.

Vote Matty and Sarah for Co-VP