Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Council topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students describe student council campaign, mock election and community service
Summary
Students explained how Westbrook Park Elementary runs a student council: classroom speeches, posters, mock voting booths with privacy dividers, 'I voted' stickers, a council of about 10 members, monthly meetings, and activities including a food drive.
Students at Westbrook Park Elementary School described the student council process, from announcing candidacies to voting and post-election activities, as part of a class presentation. "Student council is a group of elected students that are just interested in bettering the school," a student (Speaker 5) said.
Students said they were invited by a teacher (referred to in the transcript as Miss Conte) to make speeches, first to homerooms and then to the whole school; about 10 students make up the council. "We had voting day. Every classroom had a certain time to go down to the voting booths and cast their ballot," Student (S7) said, describing small dividers used to replicate privacy in real voting booths and 'I voted' stickers handed out after ballots were cast.
Students said campaign materials such as posters were displayed around the school so younger students could see candidates and their platforms. The following day the winners for president and vice president were announced to the school; several students said the announcement surprised the winners.
The student council meets about once a month to discuss feasible improvements. "We'll put little requests in, like, new recess equipment," Student (S5) said. Students also highlighted community service: "We organize the food drive with student council...it's lots of families who usually struggle, so that's why we did that food drive to help people out," Student (S7) said.
Why it matters: The school-level election gave students experience running campaigns, addressing peers and participating in a voting process designed to teach civic skills. Students linked the experience to future participation: one said attending polls with a parent made them eager to vote when older.
The presentation relayed students’ firsthand accounts of school practice; it did not include formal bylaws, election rules, vote tallies or staff verification of council membership.
