The Whitman Student Government Association (SGA) is a student-run organization composed of members from all grades. The elected class officers and executive board work with the school administration to plan events like Homecoming and Charity Month. Student Governments nationwide allow elementary, middle and high school students to learn leadership skills, become involved in their school and facilitate change.

The core flaw in this system, however, is SGA’s inability to effectively address student concerns — a problem not with SGA officers, but with school administrators and the rules the county mandates them to enforce. For years, Whitman students have asked their SGA representatives to make even minor improvements to the school, such as keeping bathrooms stocked with paper towels and encouraging teachers to assign less homework. Still, their complaints seem to go unaddressed.

To ensure that the SGA can advocate for students, the Whitman administrative team, in partnership with MCPS officials, should grant SGA representatives greater authority to meet students’ requests. Unlike the county’s Student Member of the Board, who has full voting power on the MCPS Board of Education, Whitman’s SGA can’t directly impact policy decisions. As a result, students rely on administrators — who don’t fully grasp what students experience at school — to hear their voices and implement change, which often doesn’t happen.

Freshman and fifth-period class representative Aven Joseph attended multiple monthly SGA meetings this school year. She said she witnessed how largely restricted the SGA was, as they weren’t allowed to address certain issues. According to her, SGA members want to help students, but systemic barriers prevent them from doing so.

“Our jobs, as far as [our teachers] told us, were to go back to our classes and report on what was coming up,” Joseph said. “It wasn’t about maintenance or school happenings.”

Whitman’s recent stricter policies — like hall sweeps for tardiness and ID enforcement — raised many concerns among students and parents alike. Even with the school year coming to a close, there hasn’t been any visible progress on these issues, and the SGA remains excluded from the conversation.

Whitman business administrator Danielle Fus said the administration has limited authority regarding certain county policies.

“If it is something we have governance of on a school level, then that’s something we can look at on a school level,” Fus said. “If that’s something that is county-mandated or even Maryland-mandated, then we would advocate for the SGA to go to the county SGA like Anuva, our SMOB.”

As Whitman’s administration can’t determine county policies, the SGA can’t petition them. While contacting the county SGA may yield some change, the process for alleviating issues that directly impact students shouldn’t have to be so complicated.

“Two years ago, the SMOB advocated for students being able to decorate their caps,” Fus said. “Now, students countywide have a list of guidelines in place about decorating their caps.”

Within Whitman, there hasn’t always been a simple way for students to petition the SGA. To give students a more accessible platform, the SGA began releasing Google Forms, where students can document desired changes more efficiently.

However, according to SGA co-sponsor Michele Traficante, some students’ suggestions aren’t in the scope of what SGA can do.

“People would write random things on there that weren’t even legit,” Traficante said, “People would say things like ‘We want more food trucks,’ and that’s not a sort of thing we have any control over.”

Senior Zalina Bell, Whitman’s 2024-2025 SGA president, developed a stronger connection with the administrative team and was invited to meetings to speak on panels. Bell said she oversaw SGA-run student polls about events.

“Occasionally, we got a random response or two, but people genuinely wanted a say in these things.” Bell said, “For example, Homecoming themes and [Battle of the Classes] themes…everyone cared about it, so they did respond.”

Students may feel obliged to respond to SGA surveys about events, believing it’s their only chance to take part in shaping school decisions. Students occasionally get to weigh in on certain aspects of social events, but they aren’t able to influence issues related to their learning environment or quality of education.

Junior Kyle Chen said he can’t remember the last time the SGA changed policies at Whitman that students were genuinely concerned about.

“They try their best to plan all the events, and they do a good job,” Chen said, “but I think in the end it’s really up to the adults.”

When it comes to students’ experience at Whitman, students are the only ones who know what needs to be changed. Adults don’t understand how students think or feel, so they definitely won’t represent the student body better than a student.

Although Whitman’s SGA may not always find solutions for students’ concerns, they’re still a driving force in promoting school spirit and supporting the area. During the annual SGA charity month, the Whitman community raised over $20,000 to support Nourishing Bethesda — a local organization that fights food insecurity.

The SGA is undoubtedly committed to serving the Bethesda community. Through events like Charity Month, they’ve demonstrated their dedication and yielded various successes — ones that could have a greater impact if the administration gave the SGA more power. By granting the SGA president a direct voice in curating policies or holding regular meetings with class representatives, students would not only feel heard, but they’d start to see their participation matter.