As this crazy year comes to an end, Apopka High School’s Student Government Association (SGA) has begun prepping for the 2021-2022 school year. The SGA elections have started! With all of the hardships in the school system caused by the pandemic, there is only been one position that multiple SGA members competing for. The position is for Vice President, and the competitors are Katie Townsend, Leah Khalaf, and Aleanna Rottinghaus. The Blue and White teamed up with SGA to interview each candidate and understand why they should be Apopka’s next SGA Vice President.

Katie:

Leah:

Aleanna:

If elected, what will you, as a leader, bring to this position that will help to promote growth in the students around you?

Katie: If I was elected to be Vice President for SGA I would bring to this position my hard work and dedication to making sure AHS is a place where kids feel safe and welcomed at all times.

Leah: If I was elected to become SGA Vice President, I would bring a sense of community to the student body so that everyone feels involved in the “Blue Darter Pride” motto that SGA promotes so heavily. Students would have a safe and fun environment that they could come to everyday.

Aleanna: If I were to be elected Vice President, as a leader I would help promote growth in the students around me by encouraging school spirit and encouraging students to participate in school activities.

Why do you believe the student council is an important club and necessary in our school being active in the community?

Katie: Student council is an important club for students to be active in our community because it allows AHS students to do things to help the community grow and be a healthy and safe environment for all of our residents with different community services act we do such as canned food drives for the homeless and Dewey and Daisie’s Holiday Wish where we give children in the elementary schools around our community gifts for the holidays.

Leah:  SGA does a lot more than most people think. Before I was involved, I had no clue how much they were involved in. The SGA of Apopka High school organizes school events such as homecoming, the powderpuff games, spirit week, events/activities for teachers and many others. Not only do we arrange activities for the school but we also get involved in our community. Examples of this would be volunteering outside of school, getting involved with other clubs, and our annual Dewey and Daisy’s holiday wish for the elementary students at Phillis Wheatley. 

Aleanna: I believe that the student council is an important club and it very necessary in our school being active because SGA is more than putting together homecoming and spirit week and bringing school spirit to school. SGA donates to many places and helps out beyond the school doors.

Why should you be elected as the vice president of SGA?

Katie: I should be elected for the Vice President of SGA because I can bring to the table new and fun ideas for the students at Apopka to get involved in school spirit and what it means to be a Darter while still staying under the guidelines of COVID-19 and also get AHS involved in more community projects to help make these times easier.

Leah: I should be elected as Vice President of SGA because I believe that I have the leadership skills, drive, and passion to get things done. I would help make decisions that benefit the student body and empower the school as a whole. 

Aleanna: I should be elected as Vice President because I believe I can uphold the responsibilities of being Vice President as well as having a creative mind which is very needed for this position. I will also be very dedicated to this position and provide everything needed to being Vice President. 

What ideas do you have for change/would like to continue?

Katie: I have some ideas for both changes and things I would like to continue. An idea I would like to add are more school events, like a socially distanced movie night to help raise money for different things the school may need or a drive-through pick up of food for families who are in need. I would like to continue to do something special for the teachers at AHS on teacher appreciation week as they work so hard to help their students all year and to continue to sell Apopka spirit shirts to help raise money for SGA and get the community in on our darter pride.

Leah:  I would like to keep old traditions of SGA going as well as bring in new ideas. I believe that keeping old traditions is important in terms of familiarity. With the upcoming school year, I feel like there are so many fun opportunities that we can take that we didn’t get to with the 2020-2021 school year (for obvious reasons). 

Aleanna: The ideas I have for change would be getting more students involved in school activities and getting them to show more school spirit.

Follow up question, how would you implement these changes?

Katie: I would implement these changes by first checking with Mr. Peters the President of SGA and Mr. Heinz to make sure these acts are ok and safe for us to make happen and then follow up with the other students in SGA and students around AHS to find the best game-plan to make it work for everyone. 

Leah:  I would implement changes by working with Mr. Peters and other SGA members. I feel like this is very important because this club is very rooted in teamwork and making collective decisions. By doing this, you ensure that changes are not one-sided and you ultimately get an understanding of what everyone wants. 

Aleanna:  I would implement these changes by encouraging people to go to school events like football games and more. Also spreading the word to wear blue and white on Friday’s. 

What do you believe it means to be a Blue Darter?

Katie: I think to be a Blue Darter it means to be strong, intelligent, hardworking, kind to those around you, a sense of pride in your community and to always be a helping hand.

Leah: To be a Blue Darter means having integrity, being responsible, kind, and doing the right thing no matter who’s watching. I also believe that it means having pride in your school, getting involved, and taking strides to make Apopka High School a better place. SGA cannot stress enough how important it is to take pride in whatever you do and whatever you’re involved in, especially in Apopka High school. 

Aleanna: What I believe it means to be a Blue Darter is to show the pride you have to be a Blue Darter and showing school spirit in any way you can.

If you have any other statements you would like your voting peers to know feel free to state them down below.

Katie: I feel I’m a great candidate for vice president of SGA because I’ve been involved in many clubs and done sports at AHS including SGA these past two years that could help me be the best pick for this leadership position.

Leah: No matter who is elected, we all just want what’s best for the school and the student body :)).

Aleanna: (No further comments)