Student Council: Behind the Scenes

By Parker Compton

The Student Council is like oil in a car; you forget that it’s there, but without it none of the moving parts would work together efficiently.

It is unbelievable how many people are unaware of what the Student Council does. I hate to admit it, but I was one of those students. Along with the rest of the freshman class, I thought that the student council and student officers were the same thing. Furthermore, I had no idea what either of them did. Joining the student council was the moment I only began to grasp just how important of a role it plays for BGA.

The Student Council consists of two freshman representatives (Parker Compton, Samantha Sizemore), three sophomore representatives (Ally Barclay, Ronan Bray, Nicholas Ferrara), three junior representatives (Anne Gentry Lambert, Detlef Gerbing, Claire Deppe), and four senior representatives (Kiana Raoufiniai, Taylor Arnold, Harris Cleveland, Julia King). Currently, Kiana Raoufiniai is the Student Council president and Taylor Arnold is the vice president. In contrast to the Student Council, the student officers are composed of a class president, vice president, Greer representative, and Plato representative for each grade. This is quite similar to the structure of student leadership in the Middle School, while the student council is exclusive to the Upper School.

The Student Council meets during lunch in the library on most occasions. Some weeks there are only a couple meetings, but during busy weeks, the Student Council meets every day. The meetings often begin with Kiana or Ms. Roberts reading the agenda, and from there, the Student Council dives into each topic. The Student Council discusses a staggering range of topics and makes crucial decisions that impact the BGA community. Sometimes the meetings will be more hands-on, such as sorting spirit wear and preparing the wristbands for Homecoming. These kinds of meetings rarely take place in the library. 

Meetings are only the beginning for the student council. Speaking at assemblies and events, being ushers at Meet the Teacher Night and Grandparents Day, doing morning announcements, proposing and organizing events, managing clubs: the student council works behind the scenes to help make everything happen. On the other hand, the student officers interact directly with the students. Samantha Sizemore, a freshman representative of the Student Council, describes the student officers as “the bridge between the Student Council and the students.”

The Student Council will never stop working until our Upper School experience is unforgettable, filled with thousands of memories that will be cherished for a lifetime. The student is the driver that holds all the potential, BGA is the car that can unlock that potential, and the Student Council is the fuel.