By Ashley Sanchez | Staff Writer

   As Gabrielino High School students adjust to the Virtual Academy, many student activities have been put on hold due to the pandemic. However, this has not stopped the new ASB leaders from promoting  school spirit.                       

   Kelly Tran, senior, wants to encourage students to cheer up during these difficult times.

    “My goal this year as ASB President is to keep students motivated and excited about school activities,” Tran stated.

   When it comes to virtual learning, reaching out to students is much harder than last year. In the past, students had the opportunity to participate in live ASB events on campus. This semester, that isn’t possible. 

   Vice President Shannon Tran (no relation to Kelly Tran), also a senior, stated that her goal this year is to  “maintain connectivity within our school,” which she admits has been difficult to do virtually.

   Nevertheless, Shannon Tran expressed positivity when she shared that she also hopes “to continue doing fun school activities that everyone can enjoy” in order to boost school morale. 

   Another one of the struggles these ASB leaders have encountered is the uncertainty of the school year and when the campus might re-open.

   According to Kelly Tran, “Almost all of our school events [were] physical or in-person. When COVID-19 hit, everything was basically canceled or postponed to an unknown date.” 

  Both leaders have confidence in the ASB team to overcome this year’s obstacles. 

   “[The new ASB officers] have all been a big help in keeping up our school spirit,” explained Shannon Tran. “We’ve also been brainstorming many different activities […], so be on the lookout!”

   Both Kelly Tran and Shannon Tran ran unopposed in the 2020-2021ASB election. Voting took place online through students’ email similar to how last year’s ASB elections were held. 

   During the ASB election speeches, Kelly Tran cleverly implemented her singing talents by singing the reasons why Gabrielino students should vote for her. Shannon Tran provided a recorded speech stating the  reasons why she wanted to be vice president and she posted her goals on the Gabrielino ASB instagram account. 

   Both students work towards improving their skills in communication among their peers. One example of this was seen on International Day of Sign Languages, Sept. 23, when both ASB leaders spelled out their introductions for the school video bulletin in American Sign Language.

   Kelly Tran stated, “My expectation for ASB this year is to continue to provide a safe and positive environment for [all students] online and, as always, to promote school spirit even more than we did last year.”