The 2025 Student Council Presidential Election

On Wednesday, May 7, incumbent student body president Billy Tang ’25 announced Patrick Zhang ’26 as his successor to a cheering crowd, despite many of his supporters and the winner himself being absent due to the concurrent AP English Literature and Composition exam. 

Similar to previous student council elections, no candidate secured a majority of votes within the first round of voting. As a result, a runoff election occurred between two-year student council member Ellora Devitre ’26 and Zhang. However, unlike last year, no runoff debate occurred, which some students might remember as a memorable Sunday event. Perhaps such an event might have changed the results, but it seems the non-senior student body population felt satisfied enough by one candidate or another’s campaign promises or character.

Speaking on campaign promises, runner-up Devitre mentioned the addition of chocolate chips and increased amounts of campus artwork. She said that chocolate chips were  “[her] unique one for sure and [she is] still determined to get it done next year if [she is] re-elected to the student council.” Furthermore, she cited the implementation of campus-wide artwork as something that “would brighten our days when we're walking from class to class [and] enliven us because the artwork here is so beautiful.” 

When Zhang spoke about his own campaign promises, he addressed common issues around campus. “I think a lot of us are pushing against the [implementation of the] sophomore phone rules, because in terms of responsibilities and time management, I think a lot of us would rather have the phone use be given to sophomores [so] they learn how to manage their own time earlier rather than later,” Zhang said. He further spoke about extending student opportunities both on and off campus, saying that he is “trying to open up the transit line to Greenfield on Saturdays, as well as possibly to Hadley and Amherst.” He is currently working on an “Office of Internships,” which he feels “is very possible to institute [as] it’s already in place in terms of an alumni network and the college advising office.”

Devitre spoke connection in her presidential vision, saying “more of what [she] was running on was the fact that [she] needed there to be an equal partnership between the student body and the president-elect,” and that she was “running off the idea that [she is] the student body’s voice.” “I want to be an actionable president [and] I feel like my ideas in general are pretty doable,” Devitre mentioned.

Similarly, Zhang also focused on striking the balance between doable change and reality. “I’m trying to find those areas where we can push for change without it being too crazy - achievable but at the same time impactful,” Zhang said.

The election itself appeared to be a two-horse race from the beginning, with Zhang and Devitre securing a combined 72.1 percent of the votes and Zhang a few percentage points away from securing a majority in the first round of the election. In the runoff election, the voting patterns continued and Zhang won close to two thirds of the vote. 

In terms of statistics, both rounds of elections saw upwards of 70 percent of total voter participation, with the runoff hitting 77.1 percent. Compared to last year’s presidential election, which failed to acquire more than 300 student votes, this year’s runoff had 341 student votes, a substantial increase in civic participation. Sophomores saw the largest increase in participation between election rounds, while the freshman turnout remained exactly the same. It also appears that Zhang had the most success in reaching audiences across the gender aisle, where a significant amount of both genders voted for him. 

Student reactions and opinions are generally supportive of the new administration. Francesco Palomo ’28 was one of many non-voting constituents and did not vote in either round. Palomo felt that he could not cast a vote since he “didn’t know the contestants well enough” and that he was “acquainted with many of the juniors here, but not the ones that were running for president, except for Kwasi [’26], although [he] felt too biased with him.” 

Spencer Trees ’27 also praised Zhang’s character, saying, “I already understand that he’s a leader [with] him being a peer counselor. I think he exemplifies a lot of the values we hold at Deerfield Academy. I sort of chose not just on how much I liked the person, but how well I thought they would lead.”

It seems like the student body is generally excited about Zhang's presidential term next year. For instance, Palomo, who didn’t vote, said that Zhang “[is] not afraid to take action, and I like that. I’m expecting great things from Patrick.”