Student Councils are just a joke.

Most of you know about student goverment in schools. Some have more power than others. It's all just one big illusion to keep kids from thinking they're under a dictatorship. This isn't always true but anybody noticed how the popular kids are normally the stupid ones. The popular kids are the only kids who can win the election. Stupid kids in office with smart kids not in office that makes a lot of sense doesn't it. Then when the kids do get into a position of power it's worthless. All student goverments have a teacher overseeing what goes on. The teacher always has supreme power, so then any ideas that the teachers don't like can be called stupid and thrown out. In my middle school the student council only set up a couple of dances (which were boring), clean the classrooms, and had pointless meetings. I really don't see any point to student goverment as it barely exsists and does nothing while allowing only popular kids to get in. Its the same thing as runnin a popularity contest, then giving the winners a couple of perks like free admittence to dances and getting out of class.

Methinks you are a disgruntled failed student council applicant hehe. You must have a strange school, because in all the schools I went to as a kid, the smartest kids were generally on the council, and quite a few times the council was responsible for getting bands, concerts, and other bigger things like pressuring the principle or parents into changing school rules etc etc..

Just about everything you said is true in my school. Everyone knows all the Student Council stuff is a bunch of bull, but it is true about that the dumbest, but popular kids get elected. (The smarter people in my school got all the other B.S. positions like Treasurer). Our "President" is so stupid, but one of the most popular students in the grade. He doesn't know what goes on in our school, nor does he care. The whole thing is just silly, as they really have no power anyway. Just another thing to add to the list that should NOT be in schools.

Your all wrong there. In my school, you have to apply to be in Student Government, and your application must pass through the principle and vice-principles, so not anyone gets to be in Student Government. Plus, to stay on Student Government, you have to do so many community service hours every quarter. It is not always how you state it, and the kids who are in it normally have a head on their shoulders, since we had a few very popular screw-offs run for office for my senior class and they got very few votes. Students do have heads on their shoulders mind you that, and it all depends on how it is set up.

Heh, I remember a very fun incident back in HS where my friends and I threw a huge monkey wrench into the Student Goverment system. We picked out craziest friend, and got enough people to write him in on the ballots that he got a position. The funny part was he had no clue what we were up to untill they told him, at which point he turned it down.

Most of HS is bullschisse anyway, so dont fret that the SG stuff is a pile as well. Most HS students have precisely 0 true ingelligence, they just play back what they read in the books, but have no real though processes going on.

However, university student unions in the UK on the otherhand are great - cheap booze, cheap club & concert nights! can u ask for more?! No wonder i'm doin so # at my studies

I never ran for Student Council, I was in Beta Club, which worked a lot with the student council. Try to make more intelligent responses in the future please.

Well I've never seen a single intelligent person in my local school win a position such as President, Vice President, Secretary etc. I've only seen the popular kids get into office. Most of the kids got to be popular by acting or being stupid (another thing I hate).

you obviously failed to interpret the "hehe" at the end of that sentence as "this sentence is a joke" ....

I would also like an explanation how my reply was not "intelligent".... maybe having a sense of humour nowadays makes you an idiot?

Funny how it's the only one that doesn't agree with your "only the popular kids make it onto the student council" argument and it's the only one you have decided was not "intelligent".

For quite obvious privacy reasons I can't give you personal details of the people involved, but the head of our student council went on to come in the top 0.1% of Australia for her HSC, and an old school friend who also held a position on this council has gone on to become a professor in quantum mechanics, so that ruins the "only popular kids get into student coucils" idea.

Quite possibly that's how it works at your school but that does not mean that all student councils are therefore based on popularity as oposed to intelligence and suitability for the position (just because you have a high IQ does not necessarily mean you are better qualified for any given position).

edit: sorry, before you once again of accusing me of being unintelligent, I am not the only one with arguing that your theory is not accurate, so I'll withdraw that comment

[edit on 23-10-2004 by LordGoofus]

Student Council is crap, but at some high schools they have student representatives on the school board. They actually are involved in all the real decisions, and it worked out pretty well. I know someone, who held the position, and he managed to exercise real power.

He was able to line up the votes, and overrule the superintendent on a number of issue. He found all sorts of ways to push things through the school board, using obscure procedures and such. Apparently, Michael Moore got his start by running for school board, and firing the principle of his school.

I never really remember the "popular kids" ever running for student council when I was in school. It was for the most part dominated by nerds. Im sure if popluar kids ran would win as high school was on big popularity contest.

I ran for, and nearly recieved, the position of student council government during my senior year of high school... however, I was disqualified from the race hours before voting began due to a controversial campaign speech I gave over the public announcement system.

The interesting bit? My name did not even appear on the ballots-- even though they were printed well before I had been disqualified... and I was one of only two candidates for the position.

As with most things in life, the student council works only if the powers that be deem it worthy.

Say something they like (or has already thought of) it will pass. As for the other, I think you get the message.