When you were walking through the halls these past few weeks, you might have noticed a number of posters on the walls. Some posters had photos of people on them, while others had handwritten names. You might have wondered to yourself: what are these for? If you happened to look a little closer, you would’ve noticed that they were all for the recent SCA election.
SCA stands for Student Council Association, and it’s a group of students who work to plan events that we all know and love, such as Homecoming, Prom, Powderpuff, and the annual Candygrams! The SCA leaders’ goal is to sufficiently represent the student body and make all students’ voices heard. The reason for the posters, though, is that to become an SCA leader, you must be elected by your peers – the students in your grade. This means that in the past few weeks, there was an election along the lines of the one upcoming this November, although of course on a somewhat lesser scale.
If this isn’t your first year at CHS, you might have also noticed that this year, the SCA election had significantly more buzz than it did in previous years. More people ran for different positions, more people wanted to participate as delegates, and everyone wanted to win badly. Why did SCA seem so important this year?
”There are several reasons I believe we had a huge turnout this year,” Mr. Rod, the SCA advisor, says. “Some of those factors include us advertising it more this year through social media, the PA system, and flyers around the school. It can also be attributed to last year’s SCA reps encouraging more people to come out and join.” He continues, “Lastly, I think the students have seen the events and fundraisers we’ve done and really want to be a part of that because they see firsthand how much fun SCA really is.” The idea of planning Prom or Homecoming is enthralling for many students. The idea of having your voice amplified within your school and your community is even more so.
Why does SCA matter? More specifically, why does it matter not just this year due to the huge turnout, but every year and for every student? “SCA is important because it honestly does give students a voice at CHS and gives them the opportunity to have a positive impact on our school community,” Mr. Rod says. “Most students believe that SCA is all about student government, but it’s really not. It’s about having fun, creating friendships, and giving back positively. Part of that positive impact is our members’ planning events, fundraisers, and pep rallies and giving back to our school and community through service learning projects like food drives and some beautification projects we have planned around CHS this school year.” Without SCA, what would Charlottesville High School be?
The most influential members of SCA are arguably our class presidents. Freshman Jane Cruthirds, sophomore Tamana Khaydari, junior Jayla Turner, and seniors Maddie Blank and Cassidy Mages-Billingsley won the role of president for their respective classes. However, getting elected is only the first step for them! KTR interviewed the presidents of every class to learn why they ran and what they hope to accomplish for you, your fellow students, and your school.
What made you want to run for SCA president?
Freshman class president, Jane Cruthirds: I really like to help plan things, and I just mostly wanted to connect to CHS more. I also want to have fun with my friends that are also in SCA.
Sophomore class president, Tamana Khaydari: I wanted to run for SCA president to make a good impact on those around me, such as by making people feel welcome. This is as easy as making someone’s day by simply greeting them and giving them a compliment!
Junior class president, Jayla Turner: I wanted to run for SCA president because I have a passion for leadership, and I always want to help students’ voices feel and be heard. I ran for SCA president my freshman and sophomore year, and won those elections, so I thought why not run again? And I got elected again! I’m very grateful for all of the support I’ve had these past two years.
Senior class presidents, Maddie Blank and Cassidy Mages-Billingsley:
Maddie: I have been co-class president for the past three years and have loved every second of it, so I wanted to continue to be in SCA this year. Also, my favorite aspect about CHS is how close the community is, and part of that is due to SCA, so I wanted to help be a part of that.
Cassidy: Maddie and I became involved our sophomore year. The reason I wanted to join was because I felt a drift between the student body and our advisors and teachers, and my goal for joining was to completely get rid of that gap and ensure we all have a comparable and safe environment between our students and staff.
What are you most excited about for the upcoming school year on SCA?
Freshman class president, Jane Cruthirds: I am excited to get to know lots of people and make CHS memorable by planning events and other school activities.
Sophomore class president, Tamana Khaydari: I am really excited to plan activities such as pep rallies, to get to meet new people, and to find new leadership opportunities.
Junior class president, Jayla Turner: I am really excited about planning prom for the upperclassmen, as well as doing fundraisers and other things too!
Senior class presidents, Maddie Blank and Cassidy Mages-Billingsley:
Maddie: I’m really excited about the sports tournaments, like a volleyball tournament. I’m also very excited about planning all the fun senior events and making this year special for my class.
Cassidy: This year being our senior year, I’m beyond excited for what we have planned. SCA is looking forward to Homecoming, Senior Sunrise and Sunset, and a senior trip. Besides from just my own class, I’m excited to be leaving all my favorite traditions to our underclassmen!
What is one thing you would specifically like to do for the students and the school as SCA president?
Freshman class president, Jane Cruthirds: As freshman president, I would like to make CHS a memorable place for everyone. I think if the SCA plans fun spirit weeks it will help create lasting memories by taking that awesome school spirit we see at sporting events into the school day. CHS is already great but I hope we can make it better!
Sophomore class president, Tamana Khaydari: I would like for everyone in our CHS community, not just students, to have a chance and a voice. But most importantly… LET’S HAVE FUN!!!!!
Junior class president, Jayla Turner: I really want the students here to feel like their voice matters when it comes to the decisions that SCA makes. I want the students here to feel represented, and I hope while I’m serving in this position, I can do just that.
Senior class presidents, Maddie Blank and Cassidy Mages-Billingsley:
Maddie: I would like to make school a fun environment where we can look forward to different events that will make our school a closer community.
Cassidy: I would like to continue to lessen any drifts between staff and students, especially with our new principal. I would love to engage him with our school spirit! Especially for my last year here, my priority is to leave CHS’s SCAs in a position to continue on all the amazing things I got to experience and to leave them with the ability to create many more memories!
If you would like to be a part of SCA but didn’t win an election, positions are still open for those who want to participate as delegates!
