"Student" Government?

Every school has a student government. Student governments are in place at schools to help get student input in the way the schools are run . . . to an extent, of course. They come up with bills that are put into place to run our school. So the student government run our lives basically, right? We attended school five days a week for about eight hours each day thats about forty hours a week. So do we the students actually get input in this "student run" government?

Constitution High School says their government is special, Is that true?

"Personally" she laughs "I think it is a -- unsuccessful excuse for student services; they don't do anything...", says Kris. The student government is, in many ways, a very good way that the students here at Constitution High School learn and participate in the way government in our society is run. "I think it serves to the purposes of helping learn the government first hand to an extent," wonderfully stated by Romero. Not everyone who attends the school feel as though the student government is helpful in their high school experience. Many in fact, feel as though the student government is not succeeding in actively incorporating the student bodies input in the running of the school.

"It's a paper/puppet government," states Mr. Romero. A puppet government? Many of the people I interviewed wouldn't argue against the point, seeing as how they hardly know anything about the government. "Well,...I know the having lots of meetings but I don't know anything that they have done," stated by Christelle. Most of the people that I have interviewed during my investigation have said similar things.

"We do try [to communicate] but students don't go to their representatives to communicate their needs or listen when their representatives try to communicate with them," states two year student representative Nicole. The student government has, in the past administrations, passed the uniform bill, which was a compromise between the students and the teachers. Their is also the lunch bill, which allows tenth graders and the higher grades to go off the premises for lunch, solving the space problem during the lunch period. But there seems to be a slow down on the constructiveness of the student government. "I know he is a Freshman....is it Amber-something...I know the Vice President she is my friend," stated by Christelle. Many people that I have talked to "off the record" feel as though there dis like is not with government as a whole but with it's seeming lack of leadership. With NHD over and done with what will change with the our schools leadership?

As brought to light by interviewing Nicole. Is the stall in the governments productivity partially due to the lack of interest in the student body to communicate with the student government. "Well, if they took surveys or report progress from their weekly meeting we [the student body] would feel more apart of the government," says Ryon. We body and the student government need to broaden our fields of communication and to work together but the only issue is...do WE want to?

By: Lakisha Finai