This story is syndicated from The Tower, the newspaper of Princeton High School in Princeton, NJ. The original version of the story ran here.
Every year, dozens of Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors all around PHS show interest in becoming members of student council. In some ways, student council is just another riveting feature of school life; the slightly ripped, faded posters that hang around in unexplicably hard to reach places, the faces and names of candidates at every corner, and complicated strings of endorsements pushing their preferred candidates forward, are just pieces of the running-for-office process that every student is all too familiar with. But of the students running for positions in every grade, the question of genuine intention arises. Does every candidate run with the intention of improving their school? Do candidates really strive to “be a voice for everyone” in the student body? Amidst the ever-growing competitive college environment and race to grasp noticeable achievements, student council has lost its traditional meaning and has become yet another supplement on students’ application.
At PHS, the student council has four positions per grade: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary—a common practice across the nation. And yet, each of these titles in relation to student government have become superficial, something symbolizing only a seemingly impressive leadership position.
While many people approach these roles with good intentions, their spirits are quashed with patterns of inactivity and insignificant action. At PHS, students solely see the presence of their student council members in event planning, such as prom, dances, and pep rallies. While they also hold fundraisers for school dances and organize events, other student councils across the country are making grand efforts to improve their schools and communities. In November of 2023, Portland Press Herald reported that Maine’s Biddeford High School held a student council-led food basket drive, in which the school collected 100 baskets composed of Thanksgiving foods. The council promptly distributed the food donations among community members experiencing food insecurity. So why is our student council limiting itself to mundane tasks when it has the potential to reach so much further, to impact so many more people?
It’s key to recognize that a student council also exists to give everyone a voice. Thus, it is also essential to strive to communicate with as broad a group of student voices as possible. Through class meetings? Through a Google form? A monthly stand?
The lack of significant influence and reach that student government currently suffers from doesn’t seem to correlate with the value that is placed upon student council positions; this is especially relevant in college applications, as students often load their resumes with achievements they’ve obtained just for the sake of receiving an Ivy League acceptance come winter or spring. Has holding a student council title become just a checkbox? Has this responsibility — that historically has been linked with student advocacy and community uplifting — been reduced to nothing more than a means to an end? In Harvard’s Class of 2024, 40.2 percent of students self-reported involvement in their high school’s student government. Yet, it is doubtful that they made the same impact as those who tackled community service projects or experienced the personal growth that comes with managing athletics or committing to challenging courses. So what is the value of artificially inflating the perceived societal worth of this title? Unless a change in the ambitions and expectations comes, not much.
Note: Managing Editor Matthew Chen is PHS ’25 Student Council President and recuses himself from any involvement in this editorial.
