Over the past few weeks, members of the St. James 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes have been preparing for an election for the St. James Student Council, a group of student leaders elected by peers to represent their school. Student Council sponsors Kellye Carville, Shelby Miller, and Julia Spaht gathered all 3rd through 5th grade students on October 15th to discuss the Student Council and election process. Students were encouraged to consider qualities such as kindness, honesty, confidence, integrity, and commitment to service in electing their student leaders. The students also learned about the differences between certain offices, such as the Secretary, Chaplain, and President.
The Student Council meets monthly and organizes service projects, fundraisers, and community events for the student body. Student Council leaders are also called on to serve as ambassadors at school events such as Grandparents’ Day. This year, interest in serving was high. 23 students ran for officer positions, which includes the Student Council President, Vice President, Secretary, and Chaplain. An additional 17 students ran for class representative positions at each grade level.
Candidates for president wrote and filmed 30-second speeches, which were shown to the student body on Friday, October 30th. Then, on Monday, November 2nd, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades participated in a campaign event on the large playground. Each grade level had a chance to visit tables set up by the candidates, who created posters and bookmarks to hand out to the electorate. After the campaign, students voted on paper ballots.
The election winners will be announced on Bayou St. James, our school’s daily news broadcast, at 2:40pm on Tuesday, November 3rd. Students will hear their election results on the same day their parents are participating in national, state, and local elections!
