Charlottesville High School is a big school, with a total of 1,408 students. While having such a big school like CHS can be a great place to form relationships, it can be an issue when students and administrators become disconnected from each other in their views on school issues. The Student Council works to lessen the communicative gap between students and administrators. As elections have just taken place, Knight Time Review wanted to introduce those representatives to you.

The student council represents the entire student body and is divided into four grade levels. Each grade level has five different positions; president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and communications coordinator, as well as 8 delegates and two advisors. The coordinator, Mr. Rod, oversees the entire student council, including students and advisors of all four grades. The president is in charge of preparing and leading SCA meetings and being the voice of the class. The vice president assumes the president’s role or the secretaries role if either are absent. The secretary is in charge of recording minutes, taking attendance, writing letters, invitations, flyers, and thank-you notes. The treasurer is responsible for handling the class’s budget, reporting financial status, and planning fundraisers. The communications manager, also known as the social media manager, is in charge of running their grade level’s social media accounts, including TikTok, Instagram, and X/Twitter. They post current events, news, and fundraisers to help further connect the student council with their student body. The delegates are responsible for attending SCA meetings and representing student voices. Finally, each class has two advisers, who organize, plan, and finalize SCA meetings, and help communicate between students, faculty, administration, and other SCA advisors The advisers for the freshman class are Mrs. Brown and Mr. Stipanovice. The advisers for the sophomore class are Ms. Scott and Mr. Rod. The advisers for the junior class are Ms Mclaugholin and Ms Wagner. The advisers for the senior class are Ms. Horne and Ms. Ciucias.

New this year, SCA is introducing committees, including the spirit committee, nutrition committee, advisory committee, and mental health committee. You do not need to be a part of SCA to join a committee. The spirit committee promotes school spirit by planning spirit days, pep rallies, theme days, and class competitions. The nutrition committee is responsible for promoting smart nutritional choices to promote good health by giving feedback on school meals and planning healthy eating campaigns. The advisory committee works to connect students with school leadership to help improve school policies and student experiences. Lastly, the mental health committee supports emotional and mental well-being by organizing awareness campaigns, planning relaxation or wellness events, sharing resources and support services, and promoting safe spaces.

Representing the freshman class is the class president Sean Daly, vice president Caroline Blank, class secretary Annie Jaspen, class treasurer Isabelle Blank, and the communications coordinator, Brendalyn Pokus. Sean, the freshman class president, currently participates in Model UN, debate, and marching band, where he plays the tuba. He is a huge fan of animals, but he especially loves dogs. When asked what his plans are for improving CHS, he responded, “Since this is my first year, I don’t have lots of changes in mind, but I’m dedicated to listening to others and making the best decisions for everyone”. The freshman class student council is responsible for organizing the kickball tournament, the SCA banquet, the talent show, and a service project.

Representing the sophomore class is the class president Jane Cruthirds, vice president Juliana Pierce, class secretary Laila Rasnake, class treasurer Aubrey Hill, and the communications coordinator, Isla Nelson. Jane, the sophomore class president, was also the freshman class president the 2024-25 school year. She is interested in mountain biking, art, photography, and basketball. She spends the majority of her time doing different activities outdoors, such as mountain biking with her team, friends, and family. When asked what her plans are for improving CHS, she responded, “I want to find ways to make everyone feel comfortable within the CHS community. A couple of ideas are spirit days that appeal to wider groups of people, more gender neutral bathrooms, and school events that seem more appealing to more people.” Jane believes that being a part of the student council is a really great thing because they voice issues and plan events while also spending time with friends and other people within SCA.The sophomore class student council is responsible for planning the winter formal, the volleyball tournament, the carnival, and a service project.

Representing the Junior class is the class president Lena Oppenheimer, vice president Tilda Rajagopalan, secretary Kaitlyn Ryan, treasurer Lucy Clarens, and communications coordinator, Mel Russell. The class president, Lena Oppenheimer, enjoys watching movies and tv shows, listening to music, playing volleyball, reading books, and hanging out with her friends. Her involvement in community includes being a part of the student council in her sophomore year as the communications coordinator, planning the majority of the volleyball tournament, and going to HOBY, which is a youth leadership seminar, where she picked up trash in DC. When asked what her plans are for improving CHS, she said, “I want to improve our community, we have so many people, who are so incredibly different. I want us all to be connected in ways other than just ‘classmates.’” Lena recognizes that most people don’t realize how fun being on the student council can be. Although they are focused on event planning and other important things, SCA creates a community where friendships can be formed that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. The junior class student council is in charge of planning the powderpuff, valentines serenades, prom spirit week, prom, senior recognition or treats, and a service project.

Finally, the senior class student council is represented by their class president Hunter Scherer, vice president Elaina Pierce, secretary Sydney Brown, treasurer Amoni Lee, and communications coordinator Harrison Gaye. The senior class student council is in charge of planning the senior sunrise, homecoming spirit week, homecoming, senior t-shirt, senior picnic/decision day, senior field trip, senior sunset, last bell, graduation, senior gift, senior signs, and a service project.

From the president to the delegates to the advisers, each role in the student council has a job to help bridge the gap between student and administration. They are there to improve the school by planning events and planning fundraisers. With such a big school like CHS, it would be nearly impossible to have students’ voices heard without the hard work and dedication of the student council and the teachers that help run it.

Sources:
Rod Durrer
Sean Daly
Jane Cruthirds
Lena Oppenheimer