Instead of having a Student Council here at Dakota, we have two clubs that share the duties: Student Government and Class Council. They are separate groups, and they divide the responsibilities for student activities.   

Student Government (StuGo) is different from Class Council. StuGo has mandatory meetings every single Monday after school in the Main Building Community Room and is a large commitment, while Class Council has less strict attendance policies and meetings only when necessary. Class Council plans their meeting schedule around the activities that they are focusing on. 

StuGo is organized as one united club governing over all of the grades, while each grade has its own Class Council.  Each year’s Class Council has the four traditional positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. StuGo has many more positions including Historian, Probation Officer, and Michigan Association of Student Councils and Honor Societies (MASC/MAHS) Representative. The President of Student Government is required to take an independent study class in leadership to have enough time to do all their duties. The Historian runs the social media and website and the MASC/MAHS Representative coordinates various leadership events and retreat opportunities. 

Next year’s Student Government Executive Board (eboard) will consist of Karen Mei for President, Shay Moran for Vice President, Nadia Bednar for Secretary, Katie Hagyard for Treasurer, Veronica Pruchnic for Historian, Cody Shane for Probation Officer, Maeve McSherry for Communications Officer, and Emma Hutchins for MASC/MAHS Representative. The 2023-2024 Senior Class Council will consist of Mario Quaglia for President, John Cunningham for Vice President, Isabelle Nafso for Secretary, and Elana Dordevski for Treasurer. Junior Class Council will consist of Kate Kraft for President, Kendall Cool for Vice President, Evan Adamski for Secretary, and Parker Vagts for Treasurer. Sophomore Class Council will consist of Matteo Durasevic for President, Brooke Cahill for Vice President, Annabelle Loose for Secretary, and Giselle Nahhas for Treasurer. The Freshman Class Council has not been determined at this time. Class Council elections go out to the entire grade, while StuGo elections are only voted on by the current members during a meeting. 

StuGo focuses on all of the Homecoming events including the pep rally, parade, court, and dance. Individual committees are formed to plan each of these events. Students select the theme for the Homecoming Dance and then work hard to take care of every detail of the decorations and clean up. They also put on the Rock the Runway Charity Event for Cancer where students dress up and model clothing to advertise local businesses. StuGo also partners with the Coalition Teen Council to put on the Mental Health Fair where community agencies host tables to promote mental health awareness, wellness, and healthy living. In addition, StuGo members take part in many committees, including Little Leaders which promotes leadership in younger students as well as Team Bonding which focuses on collaboration and teambuilding through group activities.  There is even a committee that aims to keep the school looking beautiful.  

Class Council puts on the Homecoming Hallway Decorating Competition between grades. Each grade is assigned a hallway that they have to decorate in their class color. The Junior Class Council puts on the Senior Prom. They plan out the decorations with a designer hired to make the night’s theme special. Senior Class Council puts on the Senior Sunrise at the beginning of the school year and the Senior Sunset at the end of the school year. At the Senior Sunrise all Seniors are invited to go into the stadium and eat donuts while they watch the sun rise. The Senior Sunset is on the second to last day of school and Seniors go to the stadium again to play games and celebrate the end of the school year as they watch the sun set. 

Applications to be a StuGo general representative (called a Senate member) for next year were open from Monday May 8th to Friday May 12th. No late applications will be accepted. There is no application necessary to become a Class Council member. 

The advisors for Student Government are Ms. Herberholz and Ms. Young. Ms. Herberholz posted on the Schoology home page that StuGo is great for people “interested in taking on a leadership role in our school and working together to have a positive impact at Dakota.” Each individual grade has its own set of advisors for Class Council.  

There are many leadership opportunities at Dakota High School for those who are interested in planning activities, participating in community service opportunities, and encouraging school spirit. StuGo and Class Council are just two of the many clubs that Dakota has to offer!