It’s Election Time! 

Want to apply for elected and appointed student body positions?
You may apply for one or both. Here are the details:

Student Body Presidency 

The Student Body Presidency (SBP) is made up of the President, Vice President, and Secretary. These positions are elected in April by Williamsburg students in grades 8-11 since these will be the high school students of the 2021-2022 school year. 

SBP Responsibilities:

• Learn the needs of the student body. Work with the Student Body Leadership team to find creative ways to meet those needs
• Your most important role will be representing the students of all Williamsburg Learning schools
• Manage Homeroom announcements for the student body
• Attend a one-hour, weekly SBL class (Thursdays at 1 or 2 pm, TBD), participate as a team member in one of four class groups, and preside over the team leader meeting at the end of each class
• Attend as many weekly activities as possible including Inspiration Hour, Thursday Night Live, etc.
• At the close of the school year, review the year with the SBL team then write a letter to the incoming Student Body President

Requirements to run for an SBP position:

• Be enrolled as a Junior or Senior next school year with one of our Williamsburg Learning schools, including LAU and third-party partner schools
• Maintain a GPA of 3.5 or above and a grade of 80% or higher in all courses
• Must have completed one full year as a student taking Williamsburg Learning courses (two semesters)
• Understand this will be a significant time commitment. The SBP will do all that the SBL does and more. 
• Understand the Election Process. See below for details.
• Submit a 2020 Williamsburg SPB Nominations Form 

Students who wish to be in the Student Body Presidency are encouraged to complete the Student Body Leadership application as well. This will provide an alternative leadership opportunity for students who are not elected.

Student Body Leadership 

Student Body Leadership (SBL) is a team of students who are appointed in April by our Leadership Program Leader, Ross Gilbert, and our Student Support Specialist, Tamara Atkin. 

SBL Responsibilities:

• Learn the needs of the student body. Work with the SBP to find creative ways to meet those needs
• Attend a one-hour, weekly SBL class (Thursdays at 1 or 2 pm, TBD) 
• Meet outside of class to plan activities that benefit the student body. Anticipate approximately 2 hours per week to plan and execute activities in addition to the SBL class.
• Attend as many weekly activities as possible including Inspiration Hour, Thursday Night Live, etc.

Requirements to apply:

• Be enrolled as a Junior or Senior next school year with one of our Williamsburg Learning schools, including LAU and third-party partner schools
• Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above and a grade of 80% or higher in all courses
• Must have completed one full year as a student taking Williamsburg Learning courses (two semesters) 
• Submit an SBL Application Form

Important Deadlines

• April 2 – Submit application and/or nomination form(s)
• April 2-8 – All applications will be reviewed for eligibility and students notified of application/nomination status
• April 9 – Qualified SBP applicants, submit campaign page document to Heidi@williamsburglearning.com
• April 16 – Qualified SBP nominees participate in a Roundtable discussion with voters during Inspiration Hour.
• April 19 – Polls open for voting. Students in grades 8-11 will vote using a link in Homeroom.
• April 23 – Polls close and votes will be tallied shortly thereafter.

The SBP Election Process

The following election process applies only to those students who wish to run for a Student Body Presidency (SBP) position:

1. Submit an application for SBP nomination by April 2nd.
2. Nominations will be reviewed for eligibility by our Student Support Specialist, Tamara Atkin. She will notify each student of their eligibility status following her review.
3. Upon approval, eligible candidates will design a campaign strategy and campaign page by April 9th. 
4. Create a campaign page in the form of a Google Doc and send it to heidi@williamsburglearning.com. Campaign pages will be displayed in Homeroom to help students decide who they would like to vote for. Campaign pages may include pictures, videos, slogans, or anything else that might encourage and influence a vote in your favor.* 
5. Participate in a Candidate’s Roundtable on April 16th during Inspiration Hour. Each candidate will give a 2-3 minute speech. Students will have the opportunity to ask candidates questions. 
6. The Election: Votes can be submitted throughout the week of April 19-23.  There will be one round of voting, using the IRV (Instant Run-Off Voting) method. This method will be explained before students cast their votes.

*Students must run a clean and courteous campaign. Despite the example of current politics, there will be no tolerance for bad-mouthing other candidates or any negative campaigning. We trust this won’t be a problem with our Burgers, but we have to say it. Students found in violation of this expectation will have their campaign suspended, their campaign page will be taken down, and their name will be removed from the ballot.

Note:  You may campaign in teams of two or three. However, all students will be elected separately. Campaigning as a block can be a good strategy though it does not guarantee you will all be elected as a block.

The SBL Appointment Process

Students applying to be part of the SBL team are appointed instead of elected. The following process applies:

1. Submit an SBL application by April 2nd.
2. Applications will be reviewed for eligibility by our Student Support Specialist, Tamara Atkin. She will notify each student of their eligibility status following her review.

Please contact our Student Support Specialist, Tamara Atkin, at support@williamsburglearning.com with any questions.