Good morning to my Connelly family.

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Noelle Mourani, and I’m running for your
ASB president.

I’ve written so many drafts of this speech, trying to find the right words to say. Words that can
both accurately describe how much being your president means to me, and how much this
school deserves someone who can work alongside the student body to move us forward.

To do that, I figured I could give you my life story. My happiest memories, like how I made some
of my best friends here. Or, I could tell you about my darker moments throughout high school,
like losing my grandpa freshman year, who raised me as a parent when my parents couldn’t. I
could explain to you that I didn’t come to this school with the skills or worldview I have now.
Connelly built me to be the person I am today, and while I’m always striving to do better, I’ve
made a lot of progress. I’m more reliable, I work harder than ever, and I’ve implemented passion
into all I do. However, in all my drafts and life stories, I came to the conclusion that this really
isn’t​ about me. It’s not about giving you a list of my achievements, or using my past to describe
the present. it’s about achieving ​new​ things together. What’s significant is that in the end,
Connelly directed me on the right path, and after all that Connelly has done for me, it is my turn
to reciprocate that and give back to this community.

Connelly is a team. On a smaller scale, many of you may know me as captain of our soccer
team. During season, we had a period where we were struggling to connect as a team on the
field, and we started to get cliquey. So, after practice, we participated in a bonding activity
where everyone anonymously wrote about what was going on in their lives, so we could better
understand each other. As we finished reading the last note, everyone just stared at each other
in silence. After realizing that everyone is going through something, that everyone has their own
hurdles to jump, our team was united again, and our differences were set aside. After this
experience, it is paramount to me that Connelly functions in the same way. This campus is
known for its love and sisterhood, and I will do everything in my power to make sure the
atmosphere stays that way. It’s painful to be on the outside. to not be acknowledged. to feel like
everyone is judging you. Let’s make this a year where we have each others back. If elected as
your president, everyone’s opinion will be acknowledged, everyone will have the opportunity to
pursue their goals, and everyone will have the ability to make an impact on our community.

As my years at Connelly have grown, I’ve been able to meet many new faces on campus, and
grow in relationships with girls of every grade level. I’ve developed a better understanding of the
needs of different people, from our freshman to our rising senior class. This community is so
diverse, and contains so many people that I’ve come to know and love. That have become my
best friends. That have become my closest family. Even the girls I don’t know as well, I can’t
describe my excitement to get to know you better. Because of this, I find a sense of selflessness
to be crucial to the effectiveness of ASB. ASB is all about ​us​: ​us​, the members of a class, u
​ s​,
the whole student body, and ​us​, the community of Connelly.
Because being president is all about working for the benefit of us all, I’d like to share some
ideas of how I would facilitate that. Firstly, a Connelly snack cart at home games would both
encourage support and sisterhood, but could also be a steady fundraising method to fund more
fun events! In one of the questions of the freshman survey I created, 93% of you said a lunch
with senior in the beginning of the school year would be helpful, not only to get to know the
upperclassmen, but to gain knowledge that the seniors have acquired over the years and can
pass down to you.

With all that, if you fell asleep halfway through what’ve I’ve said, I hope you hear these last few
things. I can’t tell you that I’ll never make a mistake, and everything comes easy to me. If I did,
I’d be lying. But what I can tell you, is that I work hard. I love this school, and it will receive my
full dedication. I will ​always​ come through, and I will a ​ lways​ have the intention of doing what is
best for you. I’ve held several leadership roles before, including serving on ASB for the past 2
years. If there’s anything I’ve learned from it all, it’s that it’s not about wearing a shiny nametag
on my blazer with a title- it’s about teamwork.

our sports teams, robotics, academic decathlon, NHS, and all activities on campus are made up
of a motivated team of girls with a common purpose. ASB is one of these teams, working to
make your high school experience memorable, as it should be. Connelly is one united and
incredible team, and I’d be honored to help lead it.

So, as these all go, vote me, Noelle Mourani, for your 2019-2020 ASB President. Thank you