The Deeper Side of Student Council
“When most people hear the term “Student Council,” there are a lot of misconceptions that not many people address. Some people think it’s only for popular students, but anyone with a passion for leadership and helping others can join. Others believe the council doesn’t do anything important, when in fact, it plays a key role in planning events, addressing student concerns, and improving school life.”
When most people hear the term “Student Council,” there are a lot of misconceptions that not many people address. Some people think it’s only for popular students, but anyone with a passion for leadership and helping others can join. Others believe the council doesn’t do anything important, when in fact, it plays a key role in planning events, addressing student concerns, and improving school life. Many also assume you need perfect grades to participate, but dedication and teamwork matter more than a straight-A report card. Some think it’s all fun and games, but student council members take on real responsibilities and put in hard work. Finally, it’s often believed that only upperclassmen can join, but most schools offer positions for all grade levels.
Student councils, often seen as positive forces for leadership, school spirit, and student representation, can have a less-than-ideal side. In many schools, they become popularity contests instead of platforms for meaningful leadership or advocacy. Elections favor the most socially popular students, leaving those with great ideas but less social influence out in the cold. This can lead to cliques, exclusion, and favoritism, where decisions benefit a small group rather than the whole student body. Student councils might also be symbolic, with limited real power or influence over school policy, turning leadership roles into pretend titles rather than vehicles for real change. The pressure to maintain a perfect image can create inauthenticity, competition, and even dishonesty among candidates vying for positions. In the end, without proper oversight and a clear purpose, student councils can become superficial structures that mirror and reinforce existing social hierarchies rather than challenging them.
DEEPER SIDE OF STUDENT COUNCIL 25’
We asked the student bodies a series of questions:
-What is your position?
-What is a general idea of what your position is?
-What were your expectations vs the realities?
INTERVIEWS
Mr. Mosley(SC Facilitator):
Rihanna :So as me, you know, the student council has been around probably The last three years. And you have led each student council, and you've seen either the groups and you've seen what changes needed to be made.
So I was here to ask, like, as your three years of being in student council and continuing, what is student council of that?
Mosley : The reason I wanted to work with student leadership and make it a focus at ComSciHub is because I truly believe that if we’re designing a school for our students — if we want it to genuinely serve their needs — then they need to have a safe space, a platform where they can speak up about what matters to them.I teach UX/UI design. In UX, when you’re creating a product, you have to do your research. You have to talk to the end users — the people you’re designing the product for. In this case, ComSciHub is the product, and our users are the students. We need their feedback whenever we’re making decisions.Yes, we're adults, and we have the responsibility to ensure things run smoothly. But our students are capable. They know what they want, and they have valuable insights. It’s our job to tap into that power.Student council is a vehicle for that voice. It gives students the opportunity to represent the constituents in our school and community and to actively demonstrate their perspectives and needs.
Me: Since you've been counseling for three years, what are some things you've seen done well?
Mosley: I think one thing that went well is the increased focus on student affairs. Before, students would complain, and sometimes people would listen, sometimes they wouldn’t. But now, there are built-in advocates from the student perspective. Teachers and staff will always be advocates, but we’re not your age anymore. We have different perspectives. Even if we think we understand what you’re experiencing, we can’t see it directly from your point of view because we’re not you. That’s why it’s so important to have people who not only represent you but are actually part of your age group, your generation — people who see things the way you do. They can better advocate for what you need in the way you want. Even when we’re trying to address a problem you bring up, your solution might be completely different from ours because we’re looking at it from different perspectives. So, one of the positives of student council has been the increased amplification of student voice and really pushing the student agenda, rather than just letting the adults make all the decisions.
Rihanna: what’s your focus for next year’s agenda?
Mosley: The biggest thing I’m focusing on for next year is finding students who are comfortable being uncomfortable. By that, I mean one of the main things I believe student council is missing — and it’s been getting better each year, but it’s still not where it needs to be — is having students who aren’t afraid to address their peers.
We have student leaders when it comes to academics. We have student leaders who are engaged in school activities and who actively support our school. They show up and do amazing things. But some of the most basic things we need our student leaders to do are still lacking. For example, during transitions, the hallways are packed, and students are just chatting with their friends. I would expect student council members to step up and say, “Hey, let’s keep it moving.” But they’re afraid to do that. They don’t want that kind of spotlight. They’re worried about how their peers will view them, about being judged — and that’s a real concern. We’re actually conducting interviews next week for the next group of student council members, and it’s something we’re being very clear about. I’m like, “Look, this job is hard.” It’s not just about the title or how good it sounds — it’s genuinely challenging. What makes it hard? First, the time commitment, which many young people struggle to manage. Second, as soon as you take on that role, you instantly change in the eyes of your friends. You become an authority figure. There’s no way around it. You’re now distinct from who you were before. You can’t carry yourself the same way. You can’t joke around and be foolish in class without people calling you out, saying, “Aren’t you supposed to represent the student council? Shouldn’t you be setting a better example?” When that spotlight is on you, some people rise to the challenge. Others shy away from it. And that’s the kind of student I’m looking for next year — those who can step up, handle that pressure, and still be effective leaders.
Ms. Alder(Principle):
I don’t think we’ve ever had a truly solid student council. Last year, we started it, but it was still somewhat unclear and unstructured. Looking at the student council overall this year, I feel really excited, proud, and happy about how far we’ve come. I often talk about the areas where we can still improve, but when I think about how much student voice has grown — in ways it never has before — it’s genuinely impressive.
You all did a great job of cultivating that growth. Even if there were moments when things felt disorganized or when responsibilities weren’t fully met, there were also things we, as adults, could have done better to set you up for success. We may not have done our best in that regard, but we learned from those experiences and moved forward in a more productive way.
That said, I think you all did an excellent job of holding us accountable and pushing for progress.
You all wanted certain things — not that you got everything you asked for — but the way you kept seeking us out, the way you continued to ask questions, you didn’t give up. And because of that, I feel like we made real progress.
Have you ever watched a TV show where they say, “This is the pilot,” and it’s meant to see if the show will be successful enough to continue? Well, I genuinely feel like last year wasn’t the pilot. I actually think this year was the pilot. And when I look at how this pilot went, we definitely want to renew the season. We want to keep it going because you all did a solid job of curating the type of vibe and community we want on the student council.
When I think about the relationships on the student council, I don’t know if all of you were friends initially, but I really appreciate the connections I’ve seen you build. Even if you’re not all close friends, you still worked together effectively, and I’ve consistently seen that in how you collaborate. That’s something I’ve genuinely been happy to witness.
I do think there are areas for growth, and we haven’t fully leveraged the student council’s potential. But that’s not a reflection on you all; it’s more about how the structure has been set up and how we work together. A lot of the lessons we’ve learned this year are setting us up to do better moving forward. Overall, though, I’m really happy and excited to see how much student voice has grown.
Christian(HTML Apartment Leader):
Answer to Question 1:
I am Christian Rojas, a senior at CompSciHIgh and I am the HTML Apartment Leader.
Answer to Question 2:
The general idea of my position is to basically be the advisor of a 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade advisory within the HTML apartment, but how I see it is that I am the student leader that students in the younger advisories would be comfortable to go up to if needed help or anything.
As of now I am very close with all of my advisories within my apartment, especially the 9th grade advisory in my apartment "The Flyest Jets", i'm going to say something very true, and that is they are the best 9th grade advisory by far. But to sum it all up the general idea of my position is to be the leader the apartment looks to if they need a larger voice to help them.
Answer to Question 3:
To be honest I had low expectations of my position since I would always think that the main people that students would look towards too would be the President, Vice president. But I was wrong, as being a part of the student council is not about the position you're given, it's about the work you actually put in.
You can be considered just an apartment leader but do as much work as the president or vice president. So to me the reality was there was more work than I thought and to me I think I was pretty prepared for it and after this year I am glad I was able to work in student council to bring an impact that has changed the school.
Susu(Senior President):
Answer to Question 1:
My position is student body president, I help plan events, monitor student council under Mosley, give feedback to both staff and students; but to some it all up, I basically run the school.
Answer to Question 2:
The general idea is to basically be a role model for students, be able to speak on situations that aren’t being spoken about, and lead by an example. I must always follow the rules.
Answer to Question 3:
I’m not going to lie, l I felt like my expectations did match my reality in a way because I already knew that this job was gonna come with a lot; and I had to be 100 percent committed and even though a lot of people don’t see the back hand of it and always asking me what I’m doing I actually do alot I’m consistently advocating for change consistently trying to get events going for the student body
Liana(Adobe Apartment Leader):
Answer to Question 1:
Hey, everyoneeee, Liana here! I’m a senior at CompSciHigh and I'm the ADOBE apartment leader.
Answer to Question 2:
My job as an ADOBE leader is to look after the students in my apartment. I help keep everyone updated on events, make sure things run smoothly, and encourage everyone to get involved. I also work with the rest of the student council to represent my apartment’s interests.
Answer to Question 3:
I thought being a student council member would just mostly involve planning fun events and giving ideas during meetings. but in reality it turned out to be a lot more responsibility than I expected. I had to communicate with different people, handle conflicts, and make sure everyone’s voice was heard not just my own ideas. Balancing that with school and my personal life was more stressful than I thought, but it also helped me grow as a leader and team player.
Kaylie(9th & 10th Grade Representative):
my role is 9th/10th grade rep.
The general idea of my role is to be the voice of 9th and 10th grade and to make sure nobody feel unheard within the community and there are more social and beneficial events in my representative grades.
The expectation of my role is to make sure i’m always a leader to my peers and always listen to what people have to say and always have a good approach towards everyone. The reality of my role is that sometimes it’s hard to always put my best self first when i am having and bad day and it’s hard to get things out of people when people just believe student council is nothing, also it’s hard to figure out what to do for the students because the students are very indecisive on what’s going on or they simply just don’t care.
