Madison’s student government association works to bring together all the facets of student life at our school and is composed of goal-driven and resilient student leaders. SGA members are either an elected class officer, an elected executive board member, or a student representative who interviews into the class. All three play important roles in making executive decisions for the Warhawk student body. However, students aren’t the only ones working in SGA, Kirsten Stone, and Andrew Baird work as advisers and are vital to the organization. Without them, it would not be possible to put on the events we all look forward to. As a current member of Madison’s student government, I’m hoping to shed light on the inner workings of our class.

Students commonly associate SGA with large events put on throughout the school year, such as homecoming and prom. However, many aspects of student government often go unnoticed. Each member is often in several different committees at the same time, each working to achieve different goals. For example, our year-long committees break down different parts of student life at Madison: athletics, activities, equity and inclusion, voice and community connection and wellness.

Simone Bergeron (‘23) describes her yearlong committee goals in Athletics: “My main goals are to advertise all sports and their games, and to spotlight our outstanding senior athletes.”
So what does a regular class look like on a day-to-day basis? All SGA members have class in the cafeteria in order to accommodate the large number of SGA members. Class begins with a daily slideshow. It organizes our thoughts and gives clear directions about what needs to get done.

“I think that the daily slides are so important,” Abby Vossler (‘24) said. “In SGA, we need to be organized, so having a list of things on our agenda every day really lays it out easily for us and structures us perfectly. We all know what we should be working on and how to do it.”

This time when we’re all together is the best time to lead group discussions and get everyones’ opinions. Then we break, signaling that it’s time to get to work. Being a self-starter is important, as it ensures that everything will get done by the end of the day. Additionally, this time is used to work on various projects that maintain our social media presence. We are constantly brainstorming, filming, and editing in order to keep all of our accounts up to date.

One of our head social media reps Naomi Sandrowitz (’25) emphasizes the importance of utilizing our platforms.

“I’m definitely biased, but I personally think that the videos make our social media way more interesting, and I think that the student body really enjoys them.”

When it is all said and done, Madison SGA does so much more for our community than many people realize. This year the Madison pyramid has introduced the ONE Kind Act Vienna campaign, which strives to spread kindness and compassion throughout our town and beyond. The ONE Kind Act Vienna committee at Madison is a small group of students working closely with administrators and students at Thoreau and the elementary schools to further our involvement in this communal movement. Recently, the committee took a field trip to Thoreau and worked with middle school students to bridge the gap between the two schools.

Madison’s SGA works around the clock to build the best possible community for its students and staff. Understanding what and why they do what they do only encourages them to advocate for students and create a more fun learning environment for everyone. And with elections coming up, we hope that this gives our student body a better perspective on what opportunities are available for interested student leaders.