Student Council has always been an integral part of MHS, giving students the opportunity to actively engage with the school community by helping to organize fundraisers, plan social school spirit events, and boost morale within their class. With the recent council elections, students across various grade levels voted for both their class student council and for the school-wide executive student council.
The newly elected student council members for 2026-27 school year have different goals and initiatives they hope to accomplish during their term. Next year, the executive board will include three juniors and three seniors, and Will Cohen (’27) will serve as the Executive Board President. Cohen plans to implement “a large outreach project,” through which he and the executive board will “talk to over 100 students, surveying the student body eye-to-eye through a personal and informative outreach program.”
Cleo Ingalls (’27) who was chosen as a representative for the Class of 2027, is focusing on “planning a fun and successful senior prom, as well as continuing to plan fun events that bring our class together for our senior year.”
Olivia Perez (’28) who was chosen as a member of the executive student council board, intends to focus on building community. “I think at MHS we have a really strong community… with football games and events like the spelling bee, but we can build off this and make it even tighter by promoting other school events like PACE performances or the video show,” Perez said.
Similarly, Sarina Lee (’29), who was chosen as vice president for the Class of 2029, plans to use her second term as vice president to focus on “getting more people involved on our campus. There is always so much going on, and new ways to include and welcome people are created every day, so I’d like to make sure our student body is taking advantage of this fantastic opportunity!”
One of the main priorities for student council members is making sure the student body feels heard. With more than 1,800 students at MHS, it can be difficult to recognize every opinion and idea. When asked about how she would ensure that all opinions would be acknowledged and considered, Lee expressed that she plans to “hear what they have to say. Listening to our MHS community is a lot more simple than people realize. There are always opinions and ideas being voiced—the important part is just finding the time and effort to acknowledge and pursue these possibilities.”
When it comes to the school community and positive change at MHS, being connected is extremely important, especially for upperclassmen. Perez explained that “being each other’s greatest cheerleaders and supporting each other no matter what groups you’re in” is the best way to work with one another. She also shared that student council “really works as hard as they can behind the scenes to get these ideas out.”
Overall, students reflected that being on student council is an extremely gratifying experience. Cohen noted that “It’s what you make out of it. It gives you an amazing opportunity to connect with administration like Dr. Sampson and Dr. Moore but also a responsibility to be in touch with what’s going on at MHS. [Being on executive board is] not merely understanding but developing and adapting to the ongoing changes present both in the student body but also administration and school community.”
Lee added that “student council has made me feel like more of a real part of our school than I ever have before. I feel like I have truly found my purpose on campus, and I have gotten so much joy from learning from not only other STUCO members and incredibly helpful teacher advisors, but our entire student body.”
The MHS community congratulates all the newly elected student council members and executive student council members as they embark on their initiatives for the new year, wishing them luck in all their future endeavors!
