The Student Government Association (SGA) at Germantown Academy (GA) has always been different from many other schools. For example, while other schools have pre-election campaigns, at GA, there are no pre-election advertisements by candidates. Additionally, even though there are many members in SGA, there has been a lack of engagement by the student body.
Prior to the election, students learn who is running so they can decide how to vote. At GA, however, there is no way to know who the candidates will be until the day of the election.
“At a lot of other schools people make Instagram accounts to promote what they want to do.” Andreas Szauntner ‘26, the current SGA president, said. “But at GA, it’s less advertised–like a lot of times, you don’t know who is running for SGA until they say their speech.”
In contrast, GA’s elections rely less on social-media promotion, and Szautner believes this approach is actually healthier.
“Creating an Instagram account to promote yourself can be kind of toxic. When candidates give their speeches and everyone has the same chance without pre-advertising, it makes the process feel more fair,” Szautner said.
Although eliminating social media seems to make the election fairer, there seems to be still some pre-advertisement by a way of pre-existing popularity.
“It feels popularity-based; if you’re not popular it’s hard to get in,” Ameila Coren ‘29, an SGA Form Representative (Form Rep) said.
Even with these concerns related to the election process, many believe what SGA does after the election is what matters the most. Especially, how it can strengthen its efforts to improve the overall experience of the student body.
“I think if SGA had more student involvement… we could get more people’s opinions on what they like to see, like maybe another dance,” Amara Nadiga ‘29, an SGA Form Rep, said.
Increasing student body engagement remains one of SGA’s biggest challenges. With more student input, SGA can plan events that matter the most to the students.
The current SGA system at GA does have some strengths.
“I think we do a good job of spreading out the work everyone is doing…rather than ten people all working on the same thing. It allows us to be more productive compared to if we didn’t do that,” Szautner said.
With roughly 35 to 40 members, SGA can spread out responsibilities, which helps the group run more efficiently. It also allows them to plan more events and activities. In the end, SGA members agree that while no election system is perfect, the real measure of SGA’s success comes from what it does afterwards.
GA’s unique election system may have some issues, but what matters the most is how well it listens to the students and turns their ideas into action. SGA already has a strong group of members who work hard and divide responsibilities well, yet the system still feels unclear to many students. If SGA wants to improve school life, it needs a process that is easier to understand and more open to student voices. GA’s approach has potential, but clearer communication and greater engagement by students may improve the current system.