Student government is supposed to be the voice of the school, representing the student body’s perspective on things like prom, dances, and spirit week. However, the Student Council has been hurt by a lack of freedom in their decisions.

Take the sneaker ball as an example. Who asked for that?

It wasn’t the students. We were confused about the concept and why we should attend. It saw lower attendance rates than other events. Of the 300 to 500 estimated attendees, only a little over 100 actually showed up.

“I think a little bit was the way we campaigned it. I don’t think we spread the news quite as we should have,” Emily Fairbairn, junior and member of the Student Council said about the low attendance. 

This explains some of the confusion around the subject. It’s hard to get several hundred people to attend an event they hardly know about.

While announcements and QR codes on walls can help get the word out, nothing beats word of mouth and peers endorsing an event.

“I also think there were peers whose opinions were broadly spread,” Fairbairn said, alluding to the word of mouth around the event. “When you have a couple of people saying ‘Oh my God, this is going to suck,’ it changes people’s perspectives,” she continued.

The Student Council needs to appeal to students’ interests and get the word out or else it cannot serve its function.

Admin guidance is important to have. It serves as a safeguard against wild ideas that may cost too much or be too crazy. The way it was dealt with in relation to the sneaker ball hindered the council’s creativity and ability to reach the students. 

“It was good intentions. I think they wanted to do something we haven’t seen yet,” Fairbairn said about the sneaker ball idea.

There’s nothing wrong with doing new things, especially when they hit their target audience. The problem comes when said groups’ wants are not met.

 “A winter formal is a basic dance concept, but I also think that for the first dance that Fuquay hosted beyond prom maybe the audience wasn’t read as much,” Fairbairn suggested. 

As the new Student Council takes its positions in the coming school year it would be best for the administration to heed the lessons of the sneaker ball and this year’s council shortcomings. By doing this we can improve the ability of the school on the whole to interact and reach the whole student body. 

“[The amount of free reign] has now increased,” Fairbairn stated. “They don’t limit us as much.”