Student Council Elections: Why and Who?
By Zoe B.
Election by DeluXe-PiX from Getty Images Created in Canva
Eighty percent of public high schools in the United States have some form of student government, and NSA, although an online school, follows this norm (Diliberti and Wrabel). In celebration of student council elections having just ended at NSA, let us dive in to uncover how elections work and meet some of the candidates.
StuCo elections take a little over a month. Why so long? There are several stages during this process. The first involves applications and nominations, where individuals can apply for StuCo or nominate others for positions. This part lasts two weeks. Then comes the review, where StuCo staff advisors ensure all applicants meet the requirements. Next is the fun part: campaigning, which engages students with candidates through posts sharing introductions and ideas, which lasts a full week. Following this, there’s a week of voting, marking the end of the election process.
The number of candidates varies yearly. Key positions include president, vice president, secretary, content creators, club coordinators, ad coordinator, and welcome committee leaders. Recently, there has often been just one candidate for each role. Although it may seem pointless to campaign, it allows NSA students to learn about candidates, their ideas, and their intentions. Let us meet some of the people running for StuCo for the 2025-2026 school year!
Michaela is running for StuCo president. She’s been at NSA for six years and has held many leadership positions during this time, including secretary during this past year. She has a view of what she wants StuCo and NSA to look like next year. She mentions how something that makes NSA unique is “the fact that its culture is so unique and different,” and how she would “love to continually build this up and continue to create more diverse activities, groups, and events for new students to become engaged in.” She plans to bring back the Spiritual Life sector of the school as well. Her time as a student here has allowed her to see many different leadership styles, so she can pick what works best from all of them as well as innovate.
Andrew is running for club coordinator. This position involves overseeing and managing all of the clubs at NSA, which currently number more than ten. He has been at NSA for seven years and has been a leader of the Sports & Fitness Club during this past year. He shared how he is excited he willl be able to participate and plan in the projects and events that StuCo holds. His words on his leadership mindset are, “True leadership is leading to help others even in the small things.” In a position like club coordinator, which involves guiding and supervising a large group of club leaders, having this view is very important and will allow him to be successful in his interactions with them.
Isabelle is running for content creator. This is her third year at NSA, and she has already been a content creator for StuCo this past year. She shared how something about her job this year that made her want to run again is the fact that she “got to work with an amazing team, meet some great people, and build new relationships.” She mentioned how this made her want to “continue to work alongside a great team, serve the student body, and become even more involved in the community.” Her prior experience has prepared her to excel in her role as a content creator next year.
Riley is running for 11th and 12th grade representative. This position involves making newsletters and hosting monthly calls with 11th and 12th grade students. This is her third year at NSA, and she’s been the 11th and 12th grade representative this past year as well. When asked what made her want to run for this position again, she said she “enjoyed all the great opportunities I got from being a rep. I love the fact that I get to have a set time each month to [...] gather with my grades.” Her experience in this role from this past year shows she is going to do a great job next year.
These are not the only people running for StuCo, so make sure to check out Avery’s article to meet the others! Running for StuCo is a big task, so let us be appreciative of these students giving their best to serve the NSA community. Follow the command in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, which says: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (Bible Gateway).
Columns: 🔎Informational, 🎉NSA Events, 👤NSA People
Zoe B. lives in Argentina with her parents, dog, and one of two brothers. She is an eleventh grader, and this is her third year at NorthStar but first in the Navigator. In addition to being a writer for the Navigator, she is also one of two Club Coordinators for Student Council and a tutor for High School students. She has been playing sports all her life and is currently a competitive tennis player who dedicates a lot of hours to training and competing around South America.