Teenagers at Athens Drive have the ability to make decisions that affect the entire school. In this case, those teenagers are a part of the student council. The student council consists of 64 students that range from freshmen to seniors. These students meet and discuss notable events at Athens; such as homecoming, spirit week, prom, and JagFest. The council is meant to represent what the entirety of the student body of Athens wants. So, how does the student council really work?
The council has 16 representatives from each grade level. Along with that, there is a teacher advisor for each class of representatives.
“In addition to my Co-Advisor role with the whole Student Council, I am also the Senior Class Advisor,” said Christopher Remaley, student council advisor.
Having the council members take a key role in planning school-wide events helps ensure that the functions are more appealing and relatable to the study body, which in turn produces better attendance.
“Without Student Government students would not have a voice in what is going on here at Athens. This gives students an active role in creating, forming, running and making school events happen,” said Remaley.
One event that the council plans are the bi-annual spirit weeks. This is where the school comes up with a theme for each day of the week and the students dress accordingly to show support for their school.
“Normally the executive board will meet and discuss some general ideas of themes, then these themes and ideas will be presented to all the class councils that can help brainstorm and vote on specific ideas. Finally, the most popular ideas go to Mr. Remaley and the administration for final approval,” said Mason Dancausse, senior.
As student body president, Dancausse has the responsibility of calling meetings, determining the structure of school events, planning dates and timelines for functions throughout the year and delegating action to other members of the council.
“This year on student council my main goal is to mitigate error and act democratically pertaining to the job that student council does,” said Dancausse. “This will allow for the creation of a more efficient and productive working order by which we may cultivate new ideas and experiences that make the Athens Drive community the best it can be.”
Each year, the students on the council are re-elected by the student body. The council members campaign around the school in an attempt to get the students of Athens to vote for them.
“First is the paperwork, which is the easy step. Then it’s getting the word out. Graphic designing Instagram stories, posters, and even business cards was a fun part of the process, but when the voting gets to the last final days, the waiting game is a nail-biter,” said Teagan Grantz, junior class president.
Students that are a part of the student council are responsible for attending the meetings and events along with keeping up with their schoolwork and maintaining good grades.
“Other than elections, being in council is not too stressful. It is a commitment, though. We meet mostly every week, and we meet more often before big events like HOCO or prom,” said Grantz. “But a lot of student councils are also student-athletes, so we are used to balancing our commitments.”
The Athens Drive student council does many things for the school that sometimes go unnoticed. Many of the students on the council enjoy it for the people and activities rather than just enjoying how good it looks on a college application.
“My favorite part about it is the people, the student council is filled with fun and lively people,” said Grantz.
