SGA Under New Leadership

Hannah Moffa, Staff Writer • May 21, 2024

Apopka High School’s Student Government Association (SGA), previously led by AP US History teacher Mr. Peters, will now be guided by a new teacher sponsor, Mrs. Hough, starting in the 2024-25 school year. This change in leadership has sparked curiosity about how it will impact our school. To address some of the potential questions, The Blue and White interviewed Mrs. Hough to gain insight into her goals for SGA.

When asked what she hopes to contribute to SGA, Mrs. Hough replied, “I plan to bring a togetherness and family-like environment to SGA and a stronger representation of our population.” Along with this, Mrs. Hough has asked teachers to rank their students’ qualities of honesty and integrity, dependability, willingness to help others, attitude, leadership, and school spirit on a scale of 1-5. While this approach is different, it is possible that this can act as a quicker way to decide who should or should not be a part of this association.

Current SGA members who plan on remaining in SGA will have to adjust to a new style of leadership. However, Mrs. Hough stated that she is most excited about “getting to know all the new SGAs and planning activities that are engaging and fun.” She also explained her thinking behind one of her first decisions for SGA, which was lowering the required GPA: “I have lowered the GPA, and some feel that’s not a good idea. I feel like SGA should be a strong representation of EVERYONE on campus. Just because a student does not have a high GPA doesn’t mean they don’t have the grit and resilience to make a difference at their school.”

The Blue and White also had the opportunity to interview Mr. Peters, who contributed by stating, “I’m excited for the future of SGA moving forward. They will definitely make their mark!”

As the student government association experiences this exciting shift in leadership, ushering in a wave of new possibilities and growth, let’s come together and wholeheartedly welcome Mrs. Hough as the new sponsor of Apopka’s SGA. The Blue and White is thrilled to wish everyone the best of luck with this leadership transition. Let’s give a warm and enthusiastic welcome to SGA’s newest member, Mrs. Hough!

The Blue and White would also like to welcome the new student leadership of SGA:

President: Aylana Ashby

Vice President: Rakiyah Thomas

Chief Financial Officer: Maia Wilson

Chief of Staff: Brock Shapiro

Deputy Chief of Staff: Jennifer Williams

Director of Communications: Khushali Satia

Deputy Director of Communications: Madeline Sherrer

About the Contributor

Hannah Moffa, Staff Writer

Up until sixth grade, I dedicated all my time to gymnastics and school work. I believed that as long as I was doing gymnastics and keeping myself at the top of my class, my whole life would just fall into place. In sixth grade, Covid hit. This is when I began to see gymnastics as more of a repetitive chore than a fun sport. While I used to take a deep breath and try again after failing to complete a skill, I was now angered at the fact that I wasn’t immediately perfect at something I had been doing since I was three. At that point in time, I decided it was in my best interest to step away from gymnastics and start a new chapter of my life. When the Covid restrictions were lifted, I was in eighth grade. Numerically, the days between sixth and eighth grade seemed very long and jumbled but the jump in maturity levels and my understanding of the world happened fast. In some ways, I think this was good for me because I was forced to learn how to adapt, but in other ways, this convinced me that if I didn’t move at a quick pace, I’d fall behind. Throughout eighth and ninth grade, I began writing. This taught me to not expect to be immediately perfect at everything, and while I still struggle with this as a sophomore, I’ve noticed a constant improvement. I hope that I’m able to reach people who have or are experiencing similar circumstances and help them learn that this process is not something they are supposed to just accept immediately, but a process to learn more about themselves and their true desires.