A few years ago, I was cornered at the copier. Through a short but persuasive conversation with my principal, I was “voluntold” to lead our school’s 6th-grade student council. It was our very first year as a middle school, and we were starting everything from scratch. Over my years in the district, I’d gotten a reputation for going above and beyond, which apparently translated to “please add more to my plate!”
To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement! I had never been on student council while I was in school, so I had no idea where to start or what a middle school student council even did! So I did what any other Type A teacher would do – I created an outline! If you are in a similar situation, take some time to brainstorm the answers to the following questions to help create and clarify your vision for your student council! If you are working with other teachers, include them as well! Over the year, your vision may change, helping you inform future plans, but these questions will give you a helpful starting point!
- What are your requirements for membership?
In my school, we have requirements for maintaining good grades, attendance to our meetings, and positive school behavior. Missing a lot of our student council meetings, failing grades, or negative behavior in school (fighting, suspensions, drug use, etc) are not the actions of a leader, and students struggling with those may be asked to leave student council.
- Is there a maximum number of students I am/we are comfortable having on Student Council?
We have about 10 – 15 students in each grade level student council, meaning we have about 30 – 45 student council leaders in our school! We have about 150 – 200 students per grade at my school.
- When will Student Council meet (lunchtime, after school, during homeroom, etc)?
We meet during our lunch or homeroom time. Due to a lot of transportation issues, we are not able to meet after school.
- How often will Student Council meet (every week, every other week, every month, as needed)? Think about how much time you can put into Student Council as the teacher in charge of it!
In my experience, my student leaders want to meet more often than I am able to! We settled on meeting once every two weeks on an agreed-upon day of the week so the students were aware and I could plan for it consistently! Some meetings had more to cover than others, and we sometimes need additional meetings for when large events are happening.
- Where will Student Council meet (a classroom, office, via zoom, etc)?
My students meet in my classroom if we are meeting as a grade-level student council, or in the library if we are meeting with everyone all at once!
- What are some programs around school that Student Council can help with (ex: can they help with conferences/open houses?)
My students LOVE to help! We have had students help at an open house, conferences, book fairs, concession sales, school dances, and career day!
- What are some problems in our school that Student Council could help solve?
I teach in a Title One school and we have a lot of needs. My student council has helped with fundraising for different improvements students want around the school, as well as supporting families in need. We also don’t have a ton of extra funding for fun, extra things, so Student Council puts on fun contests and events for our school!
- How will you get the word out about Student Council (announcements, fliers, a video, post on the school’s Facebook page, etc).
We utilize announcements and our weekly schoolwide newsletter to let our students know about applications opening and when they are due! We also have some teachers who recommend specific students that would benefit from being on Student Council!
However you decide to organize your student council, I am so excited for you to experience it! My students love being a part of something bigger than themselves, and many of them go on to do student council in high school as well. It’s so rewarding to help students plan events and see the results of their hard work, and I love working with Student Council year after year!
If you are looking for more ideas to implement with your Student Council, in addition to school activities, step-by-step guides, and ready-to-use resources to make your student council experience easier and fun, check out my Student Council Guide, which is full of tips, tricks, inspiration, and digital and printable resources to help save you time and have a positive impact on your school community!
You totally got this!
