Student Government at a meeting.

Photo Credit: Ms. Wood

With the elections for the 2022-2023 year coming up, students are beginning to think about what they want the Student Government to look like next year. Student Government is a fundamental part of the GCDS student body, yet many students are unsure about what the student government does for the school. 

Ms. Wood, the faculty advisor of the Student Government, says that the Student Government has been hard at work this year. “They organized all of Homecoming weekend, created a 10th-grade ice skating night, parking spaces reserved for seniors, and are running color wars in early May.” Ms. Wood also states that the Student Government has brought up issues to the school administration such as changes to the phone rule and dress code, but was not able to get those policies changed. 

Many students, like 9th grader Ella, say that they are not certain about what their Student Government representatives do for each grade: “I don’t know what they’ve done, to be honest.” This uncertainty has led to speculation by students including Olivia, a 9th grader, who says, “I feel like the only thing they really have done is come up with a few things, like the pep rally, and maybe a couple of dress down days, but that’s really all I can remember.”

Various students also believe that while they are not always informed about the work being done, the Student Government has not done enough for the students. Landon, a 9th grader, thinks that though “most of the work is done behind the scenes,” the Student Government has still done “very little” for his grade. 

Around the school, students have complained about issues that they feel have been brought up extensively and still have not been resolved by the Student Government. Ella says, “I know people have wanted things like paper towels in the bathroom, better snacks, and getting rid of the phone rule.” The Student Government has not delivered on these requests, upsetting some students. 

However, some students have been paying attention to the work the Student Government has done, and feel that they have done a great job in the school so far. Celeste, a 9th grader, says, “I think that Student Government has accurately represented what we [the students] want as individuals or as a collective because they speak to teachers to try to resolve problems in the school.” 

Jack, a tenth grader, thinks that some of his favorite traditions at GCDS were led by the Student Government. He says, “they have done a great job providing out-of-school activities for us to do, like the Basketball Mile, Hoops Night, and Walkathon. I think they are great opportunities for the students to get together and have a good time.” Students feel that these various events have been successful and fun. 

With upcoming elections, students have begun to voice their opinions about what they would like to see Student Governments do in the future. Along with other students, Celeste has a clear idea of what should be implemented in the following year. She says, “As far as the food, I wish there were more different flavors for the froyo, or like the chocolate milk machine, and then I would love to have more grade events.” Similarly, Jack suggests, “Maybe a ski trip because I know a lot of people want that, so that would be fun maybe too.” 

Student Government welcoming prospective new students to the school.

Photo Credit: GCDS Student Life Instagram

With ideas on how to improve the school, students are excited to see their peers run for Student Government. Ms. Wood says, “This spring, we hold elections for next year’s 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade officers. 9th-grade elections will be in the fall.” There will be two separate elections this year: one for all-school student president, which current juniors can run for, and one for grade level officers. The elections for all-school presidents will come first at the end of the month. Later, in the first week of May, will be the grade level elections. 

A new change is coming to the Student Government this year too. Ms. Wood says, “Instead of voting for who you want to win in a certain office, we are using a new system where students are just running to be in Student Government, and the one with the most votes will become president, second will be vice president, and third and fourth will be representatives. This will work for each grade.” Since responsibilities are shared in the Student Government, this is an attempt to make things more equitable. Ms. Wood encourages any students to run for Student Government.