It has been very hard for many to see past the pessimism that the pandemic has brought along with it. However, the Field SGA reps have lots planned this year that could turn that pessimism into optimism. 

By Colleen Cranna

The Student Government Association (SGA) is a prominent aspect of any school community. It allows for student representation and uplifts voices in a community that may not otherwise be heard. Here at Field, the SGA is a closely knit group of students from all grades who work tirelessly to advocate for other students and highlight unique perspectives from all around the school. The SGA consists of two grade representatives elected by and for each grade, as well as two Co-Executives who oversee all of the student body. As an organization, SGA takes on the responsibility of planning student event favorites such as Homecoming, Spirit Week, and Field Day. Many of these events are pinnacle to the student enjoyment of a school year, which is why our student representatives seem to hold great responsibility in our community. 

The election process overall is majorly anticipated in the community. Candidates can showcase their creativity in gaining support, from personally campaigning to going as far as posting flyers around school. Towards the end of the 2020-2021 school year, speeches were crafted, rehearsed, and carefully delivered to each grade. Ballots were counted and recounted before announcements were made as to who would represent each grade for the next school year. Electing grade representatives has served as a way for students to feel more comfortable suggesting or contributing ideas for the school by communicating through a fellow classmate, and as an opportunity for students to experience the importance of leadership and advocacy, showing how valued a process it is in the community.

At the same time as these individual reps are elected, a larger school wide election also occurs. At the end of each school year, rising Seniors promote themselves to the entire school with the hopes of garnering enough support to be elected. The results of last year’s election saw Keaton A. ‘21 and Feven A. ‘21 elected as our Co-Executives for the 2021-2022 school year.

Both Keaton and Feven had backgrounds in SGA prior to running, both working as a Head of Middle School and an 11th grade representative, respectively. However, both understand how different this role has been than anything else they have done. Regardless of only being in the role a short amount of time, these Co-Executives can offer a lot of wisdom about what they have learned being a leader of so many unique individuals. “You can’t always provide the solution to everyone’s problems, but you can try, you can make your best effort,” Keaton reflected, before continuing on, “and once you realize that that is the case, you have a lot more, not serenity, but balance in your position.” 

Even with experience working in SGA, nothing could have prepared this group of students for continuing to handle the prominent effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having had meeting times changed, in person communication with students limited, and various other aspects of SGA altered greatly due to the various restrictions set in place with the pandemic have shown the resilience of this group. 

In years past, multiple meetings a week were common for SGA planning and executing on school events. However, this year, the schedule sees the group meeting twice weekly, every two weeks, an abrupt change from years past. 

Ultimately, Feven describes the meetings as, “it boils down to timing,” in order to effectively plan these complex school opportunities. Regardless of these various challenges, “SGA in general is very efficient,” Feven states, “They [grade representatives] get what they need to get done, done.”

To get an accurate overview of the SGA, it’s also important to recognize the individual grade reps who work tirelessly behind the scenes. For Grey D. ‘24 and Emma P. ‘24, the Sophomore representatives this year, being elected was quite the surprise as they both were new to the school last year. Grey recalled feeling like “experiencing a year at Field before joining SGA allowed Emma and I to see places we need to improve on as a school and what we need to highlight” when asked what it was like to join SGA as relatively new students. When prompted, both reps acknowledged the effect of the global pandemic on communication between the people in SGA and the ability of grade-wide events to happen in person. “I think we have had to send forms out for feedback instead of holding grade- wide meetings,” Grey mentioned, “which makes it feel a little impersonal but I think it also helps with organization and making sure everyone is included,” highlighting some of the benefits these unprecedented few weeks of school has brought so far.

In terms of looking forward to the future, our Co-Executives seem confident we can have a memorable school year while also balancing the safety of our community. When asked about what they are most looking forward to this year, Keaton laughed and admitted “We are a group with many secrets,” suggesting that SGA possibly has more plans in store for the school than we may expect. 

Ultimately, the entire community should be looking forward to what this group of flexible and determined students will accomplish to make this year a great one. This year and last year have clearly posed many challenges, but our student government seems more than prepared to step up to the plate.