Activities

President: Thomas Lloyd
Vice-President: Michelle Hart
Secretary: Jana Armatage
Director of Student Affairs: John Fraser
Director of Finance: Rob Diamond
Director of School Spirit: Cody Steeves

Winter Carnival! February 8^th – 11^th 2010

            This article appeared about our very own Student Government in Times & Transcript’s “Whatever” section.

          ‘Are you outgoing and social? Want to plan events? How about a career in politics? All of this and more could be yours just by running for student government.

          Thomas Lloyd was elected as the president of the student council at Riverview High School last spring. He did some planning over the summer with the executive, and hit the ground running with the new school year.

          "My brother was the president a couple of years ago," says Thomas. "He learned a lot and I thought it would be a good experience to be president.

         "You learn a lot, but you also have to be pretty outgoing. Taking on a role like this means adding a lot of extra work to your school year. As president, Thomas has to chair meetings, work with his council and the school administration, and represent Riverview High at school events.

          "Student government is a big job," says Connie Corbett, one of three student council advisors at Bernice McNaughton High School.

          "At our school the student government organizes dances, fundraisers and assemblies. They are also responsible for a Grade 8 orientation in May and a Grade 9 orientation at the beginning of the school year. They are a huge part of student life," says Connie.

          There are four student government positions that are common to almost every high school. There is the president, who among other things runs council meetings and may also be responsible for disbursement of funds.
          Then there is the vice president, who assists the president in many duties and stands in for the president when it is necessary.

          The secretary keeps an accurate record of meetings and student activities, programs, and sessions. It is important that the person in this position be as organized as possible and it should be someone who likes to write.

           Last but not least there is the treasurer; someone who is good with numbers, perhaps is interested in bookkeeping or accounting, and wants to keep track of funds.

           The positions are held for a year. And the executive is usually elected in the spring for the next year.
           "We then have an election in the fall for grade representatives," Connie says. "Each of the Grade 9, 10, and 11 levels vote for their choice. It is sort of a training ground for those who want to be more active in politics later."

           In Riverview there are six executive positions. In addition to those listed above, there are also the director of student affairs and a director of spirit.

           "The goal of the student government is to make sure the school runs smoothly and people are involved," says Sarah Coughlan who, along with Shirley Whitehouse, is a teacher advisor to the Riverview High School student council.

           "The person in charge of spirit is sort of the motivator for school outings, sports games, and the like," Sarah explains. "They make sure there are a lot of people out when it counts. The student affairs side is about organizing events, like dances and assemblies.

            Bernice McNaughton has even more categories: school promotion, clan liaisons, and many of these roles have two people working together. They end up with about a dozen people on the executive plus the grade representatives.

            It is a lot of work, and although people think of it as a popularity contest, it is not. There are a lot of candidates who run for the positions in each of the high schools in Metro Moncton. Each of them does so for different reasons but, in the end, they are dedicated to their schools.

            We have an eclectic group of people," says Sarah

           "They don't come together as friends. As part of the council they have to work with people they might not otherwise work with. It is a preparation for real life, when we don't get to choose who to work with most of the time."

            Everything has to be done in consultation with the school administration, but the teachers are happy to have such devoted help.

           "Schools like having a strong student government because the work they do can be seen everywhere in the school," says Connie.

            "Everyone has the common goal of serving the school, and getting into the spirit," says Sarah
            "We have a real dedicated group of kids," says Sarah> "They do so much work with no complaints, It is an honour to work with them."

            When you get involved, you probably have no idea how much work is involved; it is a form of public service, but you also have to keep all your academics up, be a part of all the school events, and work behind the scenes, sometimes thanklessly.

            "It is great to meet all the people at the events," says Thomas. "Sure, this is a lot of hard work, but we are also having a lot of fun!" ‘

Two new members of the District 2 Education Council were sworn in during last night's monthly meeting, including a Riverview High School student, the first to sit on the council since changes were enacted earlier this year setting aside one seat for a student leader.

Thomas Lloyd, who heads the RHS student government and is the son of Ian Lloyd and Karen Rogers, has the task of representing District 2 students on the board.

"I thought it was a good opportunity to do something for the community . . . and to let District 2 students have a voice," Lloyd said during a break in his first meeting last night.

Also taking her seat for the first time last night was Lisa Brown of Dawson Settlement, a long-time school volunteer who is also known in the community as operator of Farmer Brown greenhouses.

"This is a chance to offer my voice and to participate," Brown said during a recess.

There remain three vacancies on the DEC, which await the education department's decision on who should fill those seats.