I have a student elected board with a rigorous election process. Only inducted Thespians may vote. Students running must complete an application with endorsements from 1 current member of the Governing Board, 1 Senior Thespian Troupe Member, and 2 teachers that are not me. They must also have a 3.0 GPA and at least 20 Thespian Points earned per year they've been a part of ITS. They must have a platform for the upcoming school year and express this in a letter of intent to the current Governing Board Seniors. They must also provide a copy of their 2-3 minute campaign speech. Students and teachers meant to give endorsements are instructed to not provide an endorsement unless all other components of their application have been completed and they are encouraged to question the applicant.
Once all applications are handed in they are reviewed by me and the Seniors on Governing Board and we formulate questions for an interview. In the interview we are very direct about how they intend to implement their ideas and if they are clearly running self-serving, self-indulgent campaign (want to be all-powerful in order to get the things they want) we bring that up in the interview. After the interview they have 2 days to revise and resubmit their campaign speeches based off of the feedback we gave them. They only deliver speeches if we have more applicants than we have spots. In 6 years here I've only had 2 years where speeches were actually given. Generally, with the high standard we set students don't typically run unless they know they are willing to work that hard.
The positions we have are:
Chair, Vice Chair, Historian, Treasurer, Secretary, Public Relations, Advocacy/ Outreach.
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Victoria Kesling Councill
Chapter Director - VA EdTA/ Virginia Thespians
Theatre Director- Fine & Performing Arts Department NKHS
Artistic Director - NKHS Trojan Theatre
Artistic Director - Kent England Exchange Production
Virginia Commonwealth University BFA Theatre Education, BFA Art Education '08
University of Houston - MA in Theatre Candidate '16
"Love the art in yourself and not yourself in the art." - Konstantin Stanislavski
Original Message:
Sent: 04-29-2016 13:56
From: Alex Moore
Subject: Student boards vs officers
I switched to a board this year as well. We have a President and a VP, and then a board. Each member brings their talents and connections to the group based on their interest.
Workings the the board we made assignments for them
President - Rep for current freshmen
VPs - Reps to recruit current 8th grade students
Board Members - Reps for Choir, Band, Drama, Tech, Acting, and other organizations.
At our board meetings, they come up with the monthly needs for the department and assign based on their schedule.
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Alex Moore
Theatre Arts Director
St. Louis MO