Student Council Application Form

Representative Roles and Responsibilities

Role of the Representatives

The representatives will be responsible for communicating issues from the student body to the Council, and from the Council to the student body. In order to do this, they must attend all possible meetings and events. 

The representatives will vote on the Council agenda items. They are also responsible for  planning, organizing, budgeting, and implementation, including leading members of SAS. This means that all members are expected to attend ALL meetings and ALL events. Representatives may be excused from attending events if they inform the President and Advisor in advance. Habitually missing meetings and events may be grounds for removal from the Council.

A representative may be placed on various committees, and they may be asked to chair a committee.

Role of the Committee Chair

The Student Council may create committees for decorating, advertising, setting up, cleaning up, community service, teacher issues, interfacing with the student body at large, and more. The President will designate representatives to take a leadership role on the committees. The committee chairperson will lead their committee, report to the appropriate officer and advisor, and generally ensure the success of their committee for a specified amount of time.

Role of the Committee Members

Members of the council will be asked to participate in committees. They will report to the committee chairperson, who will be assigning specific tasks. Committee members are expected to take direction from the chairperson and accomplish tasks in a timely manner.

Executive Board Roles and Responsibilities

You are the leaders and role models - not only for the other members of the Council, but also for the entire student body.

Role of the President

The Student Council President is like the captain of a ship. They need to know how to handle many types of situations and be mature, organized, have sound judgment, and possess the ability to work with many different kinds of people. A captain who does not possess these abilities will not win the respect of their crew, and they could even wreck the ship! 

To be a good captain, the Student Council President needs to have leadership ability. They will be directing Counsel affairs and maintaining good relationships. Being President requires energy, careful time management, and a bit of charisma.

The President must: preside over Council meetings; assign the work; assist, guide, and praise when appropriate; facilitate group discussions; understand the basics of meeting procedures; stay in contact with the advisor, executive board, representatives, faculty, administration, and student body. They must be present at events and activities to provide the necessary leadership and support.

As head of the Student Council, it is the President’s responsibility to make sure that committees are performing their functions and that they have all of the backing they need. The committees ultimately get the work done, so they need to be prepared and supported.

The President will call meetings and ensure that they run smoothly, keeping the Council on target and on topic. They will coordinate during events and functions, directing people in a positive manner to accomplish the tasks necessary for the success of the event. They must be aware of the needs of the Council and have the ability to deal positively with them, including disagreements or personality conflicts.

The President will continuously interface with the administration, faculty, and student body in order to understand the needs of the community and set agendas to help meet those needs. The President must have the discernment to move forward with important items and reject ideas that would not be worth the Council’s time. The President should not, however, be dismissive of anyone's valid thoughts or concerns. The President must hold everybody in high regard and maintain a respectful attitude.

In addition to formal responsibilities, the President must be a noticeable part of the community. The President’s responsibilities are important. They are the spokesperson for the student body at large, as representing the students is the primary goal of the entire Student Council. Therefore they should be a visible, active, and positive member of the student body.
 

Executive Board Roles and Responsibilities

You are the leaders and role models - not only for the other members of the Council, but also for the entire student body.

Role of the Vice President

The vice President is a creative and productive member of the council, and the right hand who assists the President. The President has a very big job, and it would be hard for them to perform it on their own. The role of the vice President is therefore largely to support and promote the President, working closely with the President to understand the agenda and to be able to assume any duties the President deems necessary. 

The vice President will help the President coordinate the work of the committees, assist the President in preparing meeting agendas, approved the minutes after meetings, help the President to successfully discharge their duties during events, and help the President to maintain good working relationships with the administration, faculty, Advisor, Council, and student body.

The vice President should be a champion for the President and the Council, supporting their agenda and helping the President explain decisions to the Council and student body.  Since the President is often busy, the vice President may be the first person that members of the council contact, thereby serving as a liaison who can decide if they can handle the issue or if they need to take it to the President.  This can be a delicate balance, as the vice President does not want to overstep their role. Therefore the vice President needs to be mature, capable of discernment, and have a lot of integrity.

The vice President should be ready to step in and assume the President’s duties, as necessary, at any point. The President should therefore include the vice President in decision making and goal setting, so that the vice President is able to fulfill all aspects of the position in the President’s absence. Due to the close working relationship between the President and vice President, these two officers must maintain a good working relationship, developing excellent communication skills to ensure positive completion of their roles.

Executive Board Roles and Responsibilities

You are the leaders and role models - not only for the other members of the Council, but also for the entire student body.

Role of the Secretary

The role of the Secretary is a very important one. They are the hub of knowledge for the Council. They will not only take minutes during the meetings, but they will need to attend every meeting to get all Student Council information. If the Secretary is unable to attend a meeting, they must arrange for another member of the executive committee to take notes.  

The Secretary is responsible for: distributing the agenda for the meetings; taking role at the meetings; taking minutes of the proceedings during the entire meeting, including motions and amendments proposed.  They must then prepare and distribute the minutes to the council in a timely manner. The Secretary will maintain a file of original agendas, meeting minutes, official motions, and all other council documents. They must type all required letters of the President, vice President, and advisor.

The Secretary is also responsible for distributing thank you notes, cards, and correspondence to teachers, administrators, and other staff members. They must compile and distribute a Student Council directory to the members of the executive board.

The Secretary is the council historian. They will create a pictorial and written record of the highlights of the year. It is a year-long effort to record the activities of the council through video, photos, written reports, and other materials. They may form a committee to help them compile these records. The records may be used to create scrapbooks, websites, slideshows, or videos. These will be used in a variety of ways. 

First and foremost, they will provide a record of events, programs, set ups, literature, rules, and arrangement of activities so that future councils can use it to inspire and guide their agenda.

Secondly, the records will be used to promote the Student Council.  They can be used on social media, submitted to the student newsletter, and added to media promoting future Student Council activities, including drumming up enthusiasm for elections.
Finally, the records may be used for end-of-the-year celebrations and commemorations. 

The Secretary will head the committee to advertise events and keep the Journalism class apprised of events and functions in order to facilitate proper reporting.

The Secretary will work with the advisor to ensure correct information is provided to the student body in advertisements about events and functions. This includes announcements of upcoming events, results of programs and contests, and any information relevant to Council activities.

The Secretary may be asked to participate as a member of a committee.

Executive Board Roles and Responsibilities

You are the leaders and role models - not only for the other members of the Council, but also for the entire student body.

Role of the Treasurer

The Treasurer keeps accurate records of all financial transactions for the Student Council, reporting a summary of the transactions to the Council at meetings. In order to do this job correctly, the Treasurer must keep track of all expenditures, diligently counting all money raised and noting profit and loss.

The Treasurer predicts how money will be used in the future, and makes concrete suggestions for saving money and increasing efficiency.  They should be concerned with budgeting and conserving resources.

The Treasurer works closely with the President and Vice President in creating a budget, they oversee all purchases and provide approval for those purchases at the direction of the President and Vice President. They must understand the policies Quest and the Council have in regards to student finances.

The treasure must be ready to step in when the council is suggesting ideas that do not align with the yearly budget or monetary goals. They must be the voice of reason, raining in overzealous members and supporting voices who are concerned with the monetary stability of the Council.

The Treasurer can approve all purchases and reimbursements. Reimbursements cannot be made without proper receipts.

The Treasurer may be asked to participate as a member of a committee.

SAS Roles and Responsibilities

Role of the Student Assistant Squad (SAS)
The SAS is made up of volunteers who are non-voting members of the Student Council. They assist committees in completing various tasks, such as setting up for events, performing important tasks at events, and cleaning up after events.

SAS members are not expected to plan, investigate, or analyze. Instead, they are the “action” members, helping the council to host events. They may be asked to referee, host an event table, serve hot cocoa, hand out flyers, direct guests, etc. SAS members are invited to participate in general council meetings in order to better understand events, volunteer to take on roles, and to assist in planning. they are not required to attend.

SAS members are welcomed to offer ideas and make suggestions, but only elected members will ultimately vote on the agenda items.
Some meetings may be closed to SAS members.

NOTE: You must be a high school student to serve in an executive role.

NOTE: If you are a current STUCO member (executive, representative, or SAS) you DO NOT need referrals as the Advisor is aware of your particular abilities, character, and commitment. 

The Advisor will use this knowledge to determine eligibility.

Quest Student Council Reference: Teacher

As a candidate for Student Council, you need to provide us with a TEACHER/ADVISOR reference as to your character, behavior, and abilities.   A Candidate needs one teacher's reference. You must choose a previous teacher who is familiar with you and can briefly share with us why you would be an excellent candidate for Quest Student Council.  Forms need to be kept confidential and returned directly to Katrina Lusteck, Student Council Advisor.

You could have your teacher fill the form out online here: https://form.jotform.com/240814392936159

You may also print the Teacher Recommendation Form.

You may send it by email to katrinalusteck@questforeducationandarts.com or upload it below.

Quest Student Council Reference: Peer

As a candidate for Student Council, you need to provide us with a PEER reference as to your character & behavior.   A Candidate needs one peer reference. You must choose a person who is familiar with you.  Forms need to be kept confidential and returned directly to Katrina Lusteck, Student Council Advisor.

You could have the peer fill the form out online here: https://form.jotform.com/240814392936159

You may also print the Peer Recommendation Form.

You may send it by email to katrinalusteck@questforeducationandarts.com or upload it below.