And the winner is - Katie Wallace!

I looked at the clock and it was 1:00 pm. I immediately got butterflies because I knew Katie was giving her speech. Immediately following the speech the election would take place and not long after that, Katie would find out whether or not she was elected as the new Student Body Secretary. I was nervous for her, and I had to wait till I got to the school around 3:30 to find out the results. I naturally hoped she would win, but knew it was a possibility that she wouldn't. We had talked in the morning about what she would do if she lost. She knew that I was proud of her whether she won or lost. The fact that she had the courage to run for office, do all that was required to run for office, conduct a campaign and give a speech in front of the school was good enough. But still - I was hoping for the win.

The 2 1/2 hour wait for me was semi-torturous and I was genuinely nervous as I drove to the school. I got there hoping to hear the results from Katie. She had made arrangements to walk home with a group of friends for some swimming and fun after school, but she was supposed to wait for me to get to the school so I could hear the news from her. I couldn't see her anywhere. I pulled up to pick up Madi & Lacey, and Katie's teachers met me with Katie's school gear because they had already sent her on her way. I was a little disappointed. One of her teachers said, "so did you hear the good news?" With the word, "good", I knew she had won and breathed a sigh of relief. Then I looked up and Katie was calling me from the other side of the parking lot, walking up the sidewalk with her friends. She gave me a big smile, a wave, and a thumbs up signal. It was a great day - a small little triumph in her life to always be remembered. Had she lost, she would have survived, but most definitely disappointed. Poor Brad is still a little scarred from the day that he lost his 5th grade election to Peter Vo because of Peter's rousing slogan, "ho, ho, ho - vote for Peter Vo." Such disappointments happen. I'm just glad it didn't happen to Katie, this time.

Here's the winning speech if feel like reading a little more -

Hi! My name is Katie Wallace and I am running for secretary. I chose to run for secretary because I am organized, good at note-taking, and I want to be more involved in the school. Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I have 2 sisters and 1 brother. How many of you are first graders? Well, my little sister, Lacey, is a first grader in E2. My older sister, Madi is in middle school in E1. Some of you might know my blonde, curly-haired 3-year-old brother Ben. He makes pretty much everyone laugh. You will probably see him hanging out with my mom at the school. Do any of you play soccer or dance? Well, like a lot of you, I like to play soccer and I like to tap dance. Some of my favorite things at school are field trips, assemblies, PE, math, art, and choir.

I have been at this school for 8 years now and have enjoyed every second of it. I started here when I was 3 years old. I have been involved in a lot of things at the school this year. Raise your hand if you saw the school play, "Into the Woods". Well, you may not recognize me, but I played the part of Rapunzel in the school play. It was a wonderfull experience. I have been in choir this year and have also been an E6 representative in student council. I have enjoyed my time in student council and want to do more for the school next year.

If you want someone who loves this school as much as I do, who likes to help everyone and wants to help make the school an even better place than it is already, then vote for me, Katie Wallace, for secretary!