The posters around the school adorned with students’ faces and slogans aren’t just for decoration; they’re the telltale sign of the start of Student Government Association (SGA) elections. Chamblee’s SGA represents the student body. They’re responsible for planning events, amplifying student voices, and creating a community, so many students think it’s important to choose proper leaders to trust with this job.

“Think of any fun event. SGA officers are the ones behind that, usually with the ideas, execution, and ability to make stuff happen. They’re the ones who start ideas… and students usually come to them first,” said Rachael Staskiewicz (‘26), who ran for student body president.

Not only are officers in charge of school events, but they also are the outlet of student-teacher connections.

“The officers act as a direct link between the student body, teachers, and administration [because] we get more face-to-face time with the teacher sponsors, Ms. Clark and Ms. Kaspar,” said Jack Robinson (‘27), who was sophomore class president last year and reran this year for junior class president. “We bring the students’ ideas to the administration and hopefully get change to happen.”

The election process is not brief. First, candidates must go around with a petition for students to sign, giving them permission to run. Although to some it may sound tedious, many candidates say that it is their favorite part of the process.

“I get to meet my constituents, see what problems there are around the school, and see how I can improve. How can I have an impact? How can I help out?” said Nick Jovanovic (‘27), who ran unopposed for student body vice president.

After the candidates collect their signatures, it’s time to campaign. This year, candidates put their all into campaigning: coining persuasive slogans, pasting eye-catching posters along the hallways, and even posting videos on social media.

“My favorite part about the entire campaigning process was that I made sunglasses for everybody that said, ‘Vote Reagan.’ I handed out to some teachers, a bunch of students, and it was a lot of fun,” said class president candidate Reagan Hudson (‘26).

Lastly, candidates perform a speech to their respective class (or in the case of student body candidates, everyone). One of the most notable speeches was given by Esther Solaru (‘26), who was a candidate for student body president who began her speech with a reference to the popular reality TV show, Love Island.

“The club sponsors sent us an email saying what our format should be like. They said to start off, we should introduce our name and our grade,” said Solaru. “I was like, ‘Okay, so everyone’s gonna do that, so I’m gonna do something different.’ I was a bit nervous about it at first because I was [diverging from] the format that they gave us, but it ended up working for me.”

The number of candidates this year is drastically larger compared to last year, but they all have one thing in common: their passion for Chamblee.

“I’ve done so much work for SGA… I’ve helped run homecoming since freshman year… I do a lot of planning and background work, so for me it makes sense to run for officer and have the ability to help other people,” said Staskiewicz.

While being an SGA officer seems like a fun and fulfilling way to be involved, it isn’t without its obstacles.

“I would say the hardest part is sacrificing my time. As of right now I’m a junior, so I have a lot of stuff happening with the SAT and everything. I have to sacrifice a lot of my time to decorate the school, for example… It is a huge time commitment,” said Jovanovic.

While some students might criticize the speeches given by the candidates, some of the candidates say public speaking is not as easy as it seems.

“Everyone has something to say about what they think you should have done better…, but they wouldn’t know how stressful it is and how much courage it takes even to go in front of every single grade and give a speech,” said Solaru. “It’s really easy to judge until you’re the one that has to do it.”

There are almost 2,000 students enrolled at Chamblee, so being a representative for students is a big responsibility. 

“We want students who can plan something, and who are creative, but most importantly, who can make it happen. Oftentimes, what happens is there’s a lot of ‘idea’ people, but not folks who are willing to take up the work to make it happen,” said Ms. Chloe Kaspar, one of the staff advisors for SGA. “We need problem solvers, fixers, and people who anticipate problems, not just only coming up with ideas.”