EXCOM 33 CANDIDATES FOR 8 POSTIONS - assembly not practical!

• WOW! We have so many candidates 33 for these 8 positions! So we face a real perhaps impossible challenge to create an opportunity for them to speak. I have never experienced this before in my years working with student councils at other schools. We have an embarrassment of riches with the enthusiastic response of Grade X1.Even at 2 minutes each, it would take over an hour - two blocks of school time and that is not really practical. I cannot ask for club time as the clubs have started late this quarter. 
• It's not easy to justify taking IB class time and even the TOK Lesson on Friday will not be long enough. The voting itself will take a long time as each Grade X1 student will have a vote for each position by secret ballot. That is a time consuming process and a teacher must collect each vote separately to ensure that no one votes twice. So Friday TOK Class is just not sufficient.
• I cannot think of any viable option unless we all come to school on Saturday morning - have the speeches and have the vote. However as you all know each other well and can choose wisely, I am reluctant to hold a special assembly on Saturday morning which would take an hour and the voting and count would take another hour at least. Then add on the traveling time. It's also not fair to those students who may already have plans for Saturday morning. Certainly some candidates might not make it and would be disadvantaged.
• We may have to proceed to the vote without a special Grade X1 Assembly for EXCOM speeches. I will consult with Mr Gardner but my inclination is to simply run the election during my English classes on Monday and Tuesday, that way I do not have to disrupt the classes of other teachers.
• I will arrange extra Saturday English classes to make up for lost time this semester. 
• All the votes would then be counted after school on Tuesday.We would arrange for a small group of students to be present to assist and witness the count. The results would be posted on this blog on Tuesday evening immediately after the count.
• Of course the assembly tomorrow and the election for the President (and Deputy Presidents) will go ahead as planned. The difference is the number of student speakers and the time required to make it happen.
• This solution is not perfect and I have wrestled with the decision but I do feel that it is fair. Please do not only think of what is convenient for you personally, I have to consider the needs of the curriculum and the economic use of time.