Students get a head start on their political careers

The school's Junior State of America (JSA) club, which seeks to educate teens about politics and government, is making a comeback after years of inactivity.

Ever since the 26th Amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution in 1971, the legal voting age has been 18, which often falls during or right after senior year in high school. Despite the lower age requirements, most people are unaware of how the system works, what they believe in or what party to affiliate themselves with.

“I wanted to foster more participation in local politics among younger people because they are the ones who don’t have the cynical attitude of adults yet,” co-vice president junior Oksana Trifonova said. “We have a more optimistic vision of politics, which is what we really need right now.”

JSA organizes events, attends conferences and takes part in established events in order to accomplish this goal.

For example, in October, the JSA club organized a Q&A session with the Saratoga City Council candidates.

The club also attended a local JSA conference at the Santa Clara Marriott hotel in November. The convention had high schoolers from all over the Bay Area and offered speeches from politicians and opportunities for the students to speak up.

“I am passionate about history and politics, and these two subjects find a home in JSA, where we openly debate a large variety of topics,” co-vice president junior Farbod Moghadam said.

These conventions also offer awards to the clubs which have been most effective in carrying out their missions, such as raising the most money or reaching the widest audience.

The club is conducting fundraisers help club members pay fees to attend future conferences such as the one in Santa Clara, which can cost around $100 per person.

One of these upcoming fundraisers is an open mic night at Blue Rock Shoot in downtown Saratoga, at which students will have the opportunity to take the stage and perform; they can sing or tell jokes, among other possibilities.

Since the club is just starting out, they only have about five members. The members also do not receive any extra credit in their classes for participating.  

“The members are there just because they care and they are actually interested,” Trifonova said, “which means more to me than a club that has 20 people and gets extra credit.”

JSA club meetings are held on Wednesdays during lunch in Spanish teacher Arnaldo Rodriguex’s room.