Cancelled Student Government Elections
BY ADI RAMAN '23
Student government serves as a bridge between the student body and administration in many schools, and Acton-Boxborough is no exception. However, this year, a minimal amount of applicants led to the forgoing of student elections in November, so applicants automatically assumed their positions. This trend is especially interesting for Student Council (StuCo), the branch of government at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School that can implement changes on the most regular basis.
In a written interview, the elected officers of the Student Council and their advisors helped explain this subgroup of AB student government and how it has affected the school over the years. They highlighted their role in introducing staple schoolwide activities, such as Powderpuff, the Hypnotist, and Senior Dress Up Day, along with events aimed to benefit others outside of the community, like the Annual Blood Drive. The Council also consistently invests raised money back into the community; examples include the basketball court outside of the fitness center and the painted “AB” next to Leary Field. Additionally, StuCo explained how “with the unique circumstances of this year, [they]’ve worked hard to adapt and improvise new avenues to raise school spirit and better the AB community.”
With all of the Council's capabilities to drive change in the AB community, many wonder why so few people ran for office. This reasonably could be a mere coincidence or a lack of school spirit, considering that certain positions have had empty slots in years past. However, Olivia Hu, a junior and a member of the general Student Council, pointed to a different reason entirely. She explained, “I think there is a pretty solid sense of community and school spirit at AB, though it isn't always apparent up and down the school halls.” Hu furthered that the pandemic has limited which events the school could hold, as well as general turnout rates. She recalled the December initiative, when the administration encouraged hybrid students to wear their AB United shirts and show school spirit during a time of uncertainty for the district. The lukewarm turnout could be attributed to the last-minute announcement of the event, which may be a piece of a larger puzzle.
If not school spirit, then what is the root issue behind this year’s lack of candidates? Overall, Hu believed that “there is a glaring lack of
communication that leadership opportunities are available and elections are happening.” She observed that positions with empty or just-full slots were mainly in lower grader levels and suggested that the upperclassmen were more familiar with the election process and didn’t need as much communication or guidance as the underclassmen. Despite the message about elections included in the daily announcements and the morning email, many students were left under-informed, hindered by the daily swarm of notifications that comes with digital learning.
To resolve this gap between the administration and students, Hu encourages a greater emphasis on listening to the morning announcements, instead of continuing advisory activities over them, and giving important messages like elections a bigger spotlight in the morning email. Drawing student attention to elections is the most straightforward and effective method to increase interest in Student Council and other branches of student government.
It appears that the pandemic has not only physically kept us apart, but has also created communication barriers in the district. This is a troubling development, as informing and educating students about elections will not be the only time where efficient interactions are necessary; staying connected and united is crucial for the school year to run smoothly. But of course, regardless of how many people run, the Student Council and all student government branches will continue doing all in their power to adapt to these adverse circumstances.
In a written interview, the elected officers of the Student Council and their advisors helped explain this subgroup of AB student government and how it has affected the school over the years. They highlighted their role in introducing staple schoolwide activities, such as Powderpuff, the Hypnotist, and Senior Dress Up Day, along with events aimed to benefit others outside of the community, like the Annual Blood Drive. The Council also consistently invests raised money back into the community; examples include the basketball court outside of the fitness center and the painted “AB” next to Leary Field. Additionally, StuCo explained how “with the unique circumstances of this year, [they]’ve worked hard to adapt and improvise new avenues to raise school spirit and better the AB community.”
With all of the Council's capabilities to drive change in the AB community, many wonder why so few people ran for office. This reasonably could be a mere coincidence or a lack of school spirit, considering that certain positions have had empty slots in years past. However, Olivia Hu, a junior and a member of the general Student Council, pointed to a different reason entirely. She explained, “I think there is a pretty solid sense of community and school spirit at AB, though it isn't always apparent up and down the school halls.” Hu furthered that the pandemic has limited which events the school could hold, as well as general turnout rates. She recalled the December initiative, when the administration encouraged hybrid students to wear their AB United shirts and show school spirit during a time of uncertainty for the district. The lukewarm turnout could be attributed to the last-minute announcement of the event, which may be a piece of a larger puzzle.
If not school spirit, then what is the root issue behind this year’s lack of candidates? Overall, Hu believed that “there is a glaring lack of
communication that leadership opportunities are available and elections are happening.” She observed that positions with empty or just-full slots were mainly in lower grader levels and suggested that the upperclassmen were more familiar with the election process and didn’t need as much communication or guidance as the underclassmen. Despite the message about elections included in the daily announcements and the morning email, many students were left under-informed, hindered by the daily swarm of notifications that comes with digital learning.
To resolve this gap between the administration and students, Hu encourages a greater emphasis on listening to the morning announcements, instead of continuing advisory activities over them, and giving important messages like elections a bigger spotlight in the morning email. Drawing student attention to elections is the most straightforward and effective method to increase interest in Student Council and other branches of student government.
It appears that the pandemic has not only physically kept us apart, but has also created communication barriers in the district. This is a troubling development, as informing and educating students about elections will not be the only time where efficient interactions are necessary; staying connected and united is crucial for the school year to run smoothly. But of course, regardless of how many people run, the Student Council and all student government branches will continue doing all in their power to adapt to these adverse circumstances.
