For each class, there is a group of students who are set to represent their individual class. These groups are MRHS’s Class Council, a general board of students who help plan events for the school. Every class except the freshman Class Council has positions for students such as president, secretary and treasurer. These positions are up for election every year where the general student body has the chance to vote for the members they want to represent them. Throughout the year, Council members work in partnership with administration to help create events for the betterment of student enjoyment.
Although the freshman Class Council doesn’t have specific positions for students, it acts as a gateway for students to become involved with their community. Students that join Class Council in their freshman year are able to become more accosted with a system that allows them to get involved in future years. Additionally, if students want to engage with other leadership positions such as SGA, one year of Class Council is required to apply for a position at the moment, a rule that has come into contention as of recently. Students involvement with groups such as Class Council not only give them an opportunity to engage with the student body, but also allows them to foster leadership skills that assist them throughout their life.
“When I first [became] a freshman, I felt super welcomed by everyone around, and I just wanted to be welcoming to other people. And the best way to do that is to be involved with your school [and] plan different activities” noted freshman Class Council member Akshan Ranasinghe.
The end of the school year marks election time for the various positions on Class Council, giving freshmen their opportunity to run for a position of their choosing, and the ability for other grades the ability to either run for the first time or defend their position. Students must first complete an interview where two students in each class are selected for each position. Then, they must create a campaign in order to win votes from students in order to win. When voting, many students look for specific traits within the candidates to assess for whom they should vote for. Many students look for the ability of members to understand their concerns as a student body as a defining characteristic that makes up a good candidate.
“[The values in members] I would prioritize, and what I have prioritized in the past, is… [having] an understanding of what the student body as a whole really wants. Their ability to] to hear people out and comes from this place of understanding where students physches are in different points of the year,” imparted junior Aaron Rodgers.
Many students believe that Class Council’s responsibility lie mostly within sporadic school events such as the various spirit days throughout the year. What many students do not take into account though, is Class Council’s involvement with the larger scale events such as homecoming and prom. Specifically, every year, the junior Class Council is tasked with the planning of prom.
“It is a lot of communication between our advisor… and the student body… representing their needs and wants. [We are] also helping plan fundraisers and events like prom is our main one for the year, homecoming… and other fundraisers like coffee house,” revealed Class of 2025 president, Leah Klaus.
While Class Council is eventually able to plan events for the school, there are many hurdles they have to surpass before finalizing their events. The two issues that Class Council faces are monetary struggles and participation with the student body.
“A lot of times it’s either money that strains our choice, or its apathy with… classes in general… the waves of involvement, sometimes we get a lot, [around] 80% of the class… sometimes we are operating on only 40% of the public opinion,” voiced Class of 2024 advisor Ms.Costabile.
For the student body, Class Council plays an important role in the creation of fun events for the school to add enjoyment to the school environment. And for members, Class Council gives them an opportunity for leadership and ability to connect with students. The inclusion of Class Council within the school environment will carry on for years to come, bettering the school environment for every student involved.