SGA all the way!

High school teachers often have to wear many different hats that carry many different responsibilities. Over the past nine years as a high school teacher, I have coordinated proms, served as cheer coach (I was never a cheerleader! I know nothing about it!), directed the Spanish club, and sponsored the Student Government Association (SGA). I have yet to coach football or the archery team, but I am just waiting for Mrs. Gibbs to make that request! All of these opportunities have taught me a multitude of lessons about character and endurance!

One of my most favorite organizations to sponsor is the Student Government Association. It is quite an honor to work with some of the brightest leaders in my school. At Sardis, I am trying to implement an SGA that does more than listen to student complaints or host school dances. I want my students to learn the importance of putting other's needs before their own. I do not ever want my SGA to become a popularity contest that results in the praise of one student's performance. 

The SGA election process can be quite tedious, because it allows me to see who the students really are. If a student really wants to be a part of SGA, he/she will have to put in a little work to even get his/her name on the ballot. Here is my SGA election process: 

Step 1: Meet with interested students and explain the goals/expectations of the SGA. 

Step 2: Interested students receive application packet that requires 3 teacher recommendations. 

Step 3: After the application packet it is turned in, students are interviewed by a teacher committee. 

Step 4: Once the students have all been interviewed, the teacher committee decides which students get to continue onto the campaign portion of the elections. 

Step 5: Students are allowed to make 3 posters to place in designated areas within the school two days prior to the elections. 

Step 6: Each student must film a 1-2 minute speech that will be shown to every English class. 

Step 7: Vote! The student body votes on their choice for each office during English classes. 

Like I stated before, it is my goal to create an SGA that serves the student body and the faculty of the school. After SGA elections, I always meet with my new governing body and set up some goals for the school year. Here are some of our goals thus far: 

1. School beautification- Sardis is a very large school building with a very large student population. We have wonderful janitors/staff that work very hard to make our school a clean environment. I know that they carry a very large burden on their shoulders, so the SGA is going to work with them to make our school even more beautiful than it already is. We are going to take charge of the outside flower beds, assist in cleaning up the lawns, and help keep the hallways nice and neat. 

2. Teacher appreciation- The SGA has many surprises in store for Teacher Appreciation Week this year! Teaching can be such a thank-less job, so spending one week out of the school year letting each teacher know how important he/she is to our student body will be quite an honor! 

3. Student needs- In every school there are students who cannot afford the basic necessities to make through a school year. While there are many great organizations in the Sardis community that work with families to provide basic things like food an clothing, basic school needs like jumpdrives and notebook dividers are forgotten in the shuffle. It is my hope that the SGA can raise money to keep basic items in our counselor's office so that students can have access to what they need each year. 

These are just a few of my SGA goals/ideas. There are so many more to come in the current school year, so I know I will be blogging about them! Because my candidates this year have done a WONDERFUL job at creating posters, I am going to share some below! Enjoy!