Slate 1, led by Austin Cheeseman, Diondre Gonzalez, Maury Lane, and Enrique Carmona, was elected to represent the students of Sonoma Valley High School for the 2026-2027 school year
In the wake of Convention on March 10, when Slate 1 was elected, next year’s student leaders can now shift their attention away from the dances, lip-syncs, and fuzzied delegates and focus instead on their policy agenda. So what changes do they hope to make, how will they enact those changes, and how will Slate 1 work for SVHS?
Slate is the means by which student voices are heard at the high school. It is the students’ chance to have a say in how their school is run, and the bridge between them and the administration. Here’s what Slate 1 had to say about their plans for the future of the school:
“My vision for the future of this school is to generate a community where everyone feels they have an outlet to easily and then also proactively voice their opinion,” says Austin Cheeseman, Slate 1’s student voice. “I recently talked about a student cabinet, which would be a way for students to be able to talk about what they want and… [it] wouldn’t be impeded by adults.” Cheeseman hopes the cabinet will be representative of the whole school and that it, along with other forums, will help bring the student voice into the limelight.
Cheeseman also envisions “a place where everyone has events that they look forward to, not just catered to a certain side of the school.”
Slate 1’s student activities director, Maury Lane, also plans to improve participation and inclusion at these events.
“When people feel like they’re included, and like they’re a part of a bigger community that they can consistently rely on to get help and… feel like they have… people supporting them, that’s how we can improve rallies and participation just through everyone being a community,” Lane said.
This idea of bolstering “community” was an integral part of Slate 1’s campaign platform. Through increasing student participation and letting their voices be heard, Slate 1 hopes to make good on their promise.
Lane says they are grateful for the opportunity. “Thank you to the student body for voting for us and giving us this position. We’re all really excited about next year.”
