Not Valued Enough

Executive Council Member shares frustrations about the Student Council

Morgan Folsom, Staff Reporter

When I first joined Executive Council (EC), I figured this was a way for me to be a part of the Student Council Association (SCA) without having to run. EC was advertised as a way for students from all grades to come together and put their input into school. I thought that we would be able to make an impact within the school community and make it a fun, diverse place for everyone. Boy was I wrong.

EC is basically the school’s special way of saying, “Come join this ‘club’ and raise money for us.” The only meetings that we were a part of were for homecoming decorations and a fundraiser. After that, the EC was practically forgotten.

I figured that we would be included in other ways, but I was wrong yet again. SCA continued to hold meetings regarding important school fundraisers, and no one was a part of it except the “most important” SCA members. We weren’t invited to join SCA meetings or be included in the homeroom with SCA officers, and we weren’t allowed to put our input into any decisions made by SCA.

I was a little surprised that no other student involvement was brought into school decisions. I thought that EC was the perfect way for students who don’t necessarily want to run for the SCA office to inject their decision into what is going on at FHS. The fact that we had two meetings and then were forgotten about was totally a missed opportunity on the school’s part.

The only plus to being a part of EC is that you get permission to use it on college applications and it sounds/looks good. I sort of felt wrong for saying that I was a part of such an inactive group.

I also feel like a lot of hard work was overlooked. I, along with multiple other members of EC, dedicated a lot of time and energy into this group hoping that it would all pay off. We weren’t given any credit, and we weren’t thanked in any way.

After pictures of current SCA members were hung on the wall in the lobby, I became frustrated and overall angry. There could have at least been a plaque or a poster made with all the names of EC members, but once again all the credit was given to SCA.

I know other EC members that feel the same and wish that we were given more opportunities to attend meetings and feel like we were a part of something more. SCA members tend to be the most well-known students in the school and their viewpoints tend to be similar. I think by allowing a variety of students to express their thoughts and opinions, we are opening ourselves up to different concepts that are unique. I think that the school should think about making SCA bigger than just a couple of officers. We should allow other students who might have better ideas, an outlet to share. This would help not only help make the school more diverse in their ideas, but also a place that people are excited about coming to.