The votes were submitted and counted. The intercom buzzed on and a hush fell over the school as the students waited to hear who would be their next student body president.

In one classroom, however, the students continued at their normal volume and were unable to hear the announcement. It wasn’t until one of her friends sent her a congratulatory text that Kierstyn Freeman even knew that she was the school’s new student body president.

Sydney Gabrielson’s class released an audible gasp when they heard her name announced as vice president.

The two are excited to be working together – now that they’ve both found out they won.

“Working with [Gabrielson] is one of the aspects I’m most excited about,” Freeman said. “I have the utmost confidence in her to fill in for me whenever I may be sick or unable to attend an event.

“I think Bearden is in for a treat with this duo.”

As this year draws to a close, Freeman and Gabrielson are already anticipating the opportunities and challenges that approach in the next year.

One challenge they are already considering is finding an opponent in the Second Harvest Competition since Farragut has not competed the past two years.

Another challenge Freeman foresees is keeping up with extracurricular activities, academics, and athletics, but she has faith in herself that, with some work, she will be able to stay dedicated to all three aspects.

Along with the challenges, there are also several exciting aspects of the coming year.

“My forte is making T-shirts,” Gabrielson said. “I designed the ‘Beat Farragut,’ ‘Sophomore Proper,’ and TASC shirts this year.

“That is one of the biggest parts of being VP, so I can’t wait to continue in the T-shirt world.”

Freeman is looking forward to working more closely with other SGA board members and getting to be a part of the SGA experience at a larger scale.

“At this point it’s still surreal,” Freeman said. “But I’m very excited to be able to serve Bearden in such a huge way.”