The Warsaw High School Times

Note: The graphic used in the article does not represent the way most decisions are recorded in the TBS student councils but is rather one isolated example.

The student council, self-government, or leadership team, with the name depending on the school in question, is a body designed to make the voice of the school’s pupils heard, and to improve the school for all students. It is undeniable that some councils do this better than others, and some struggle from many issues.

The British School of Warsaw is one of the most widely known and largest international and private schools in Poland, and for good reason! Its collaboration with other schools in the Nord Anglia community as well as with some of the world’s best universities makes it a truly fantastic educational facility for those wishing to work hard and put in the effort.

To clarify, there is no single student council at TBS. Rather, there is a set of different student councils, operating independently from each other. Grades 9 and 10 (called years 10 and 11 at TBS), for instance, have a separate council from grades 11 and 12. This is a huge issue by itself, since these organs do not communicate with each other at all, and do not share ideas or collaborate in any capacity, thus limiting the power and reach of the student councils. If these councils were to work together, much more could definitely be achieved.

There is no clear way to join a student council, which may also be an issue. Elections are not held at TBS – something which has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, this prevents candidates from getting in simply because they are popular, thus ensuring that the student council primarily includes ambitious individuals with good records. On the other hand, no elections means that candidates may not truly represent the wishes of the community, and that candidates must not work hard and seriously help the school’s students to ensure that they are voted for. Last year, to get onto the council, you would have to submit a formal application which would get reviewed by some teachers. This year, you could have applied simply by asking for it – something which is also not ideal.

From now on, this article will focus exclusively on the grade 9 and 10 student council.

One of the most noticeable issues with this student council is its unequal and unfair representation.

A visual representation of the membership of the council (Note that, in this case, the “Party” label is actually representing the grade, not student council party affiliation)

Grade 9 pupils are completely underrepresented in this body, essentially meaning that the council is almost exclusively focused on the grade 10 perspective. This is an issue that is already being investigated, and plans have been made to include more grade 9 students in the student council.

However, there are also other pressing matters at hand that need to be resolved. One of the main problems with the council is its currently slow pace of work and lack of action. An anonymous representative has stated “I have many ideas and many initiatives that we could implement, but I don’t feel like everyone is as involved as I am.” Another council member, Amber Hill, has also expressed her concern, mentioning “I think that more action should be taken”. Some individuals within the council were observed to, at times, pay more attention to their smartphones than the discussed topic.

Last week, a group of council members attempted to introduce a plan in which every council member would have to work on and seriously engage in at least one major project every 2-3 months. While this idea had the support of several members, it ended up being overruled. Several pupils from the council have expressed their concern at this turn of events.

A big blow to the council was the creation of a prom committee to manage the grade 10 prom this year. Last year, it was the members of the student council that pushed the idea of a prom the most, and it was naturally assumed that the planning of this event would fall to this body. However, this did not happen, and as such the council lost an amazing opportunity to fully demonstrate its commitment to the pupils of the school.

Nevertheless, it appears that the council is indeed learning from past mistakes and becoming stronger and better. There are already plans to hold an assembly in front of grade 10 students to inform them about the functioning of the council and to ask for their ideas on how to improve the school, as well as plans to recruit more pupils from grade 9 into the council. With many members of the council tired of inaction, and wishing to get to work, it appears that the council may be on track to becoming a very useful entity. While there are still some problems, for instance the fact that some students in this organisation appear far more eager to work than others, it is clear that the ones who wish to work are currently in the majority.

In short, while the grade 9 and 10 council undoubtedly has several key issues, they have been noticed and are being resolved.

The TBS student councils can only work with the support and backing of the students, and the students can receive many benefits from a good council. This balance of support must be created for the benefit of all students at TBS.