Tag Archives: student government

Patterson SGA participates in Ocean City convention

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By Yeimi Banegas

Student Government Association (SGA) members Yeimi Banegas, Marshall Mallory, and Taron Taylor traveled to the Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC) convention in Ocean City in March to represent Patterson High School. 

The convention took place from March 18-20 with a jam packed schedule that kept students busy from 7:00 in the morning until 10:30 in the evening. The Patterson SGA members learned new leadership skills by attending workshops and networking with many student leaders from across the state of Maryland. The mission for this year was “SGA Agents”: The goal was to investigate new ways to improve school spirit, address students’ concerns, and deploy new leadership strategies back home. 

Accompanied by their passionate Advisor, Ms. Tran, it was the first time the four of us attended the MASC Convention, but we all had a great time making connections with students and advisors from other schools. We definitely feel more encouraged to continue serving as excellent leaders in our school, and likewise, to try to encourage all our fellow leaders who have not yet taken the step of joining our SGA. We hope that more students will continue to join us, so that we may learn from them just as they learn from us, and also so that they have the opportunity to experience MASC and enjoy the wonderful time that we did. The convention left us with many great memories, such as watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the ocean, all while learning how to become better leaders.

Patterson hosts Winter Spirit Week to raise money for SGA 

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By Deontay Blackwell

February 12th to 15th was Patterson High School’s winter Spirit Week hosted by Patterson’s Student Government Association (SGA) to raise money for the organization.

SGA raised money by asking students to pay for the opportunity to nominate a staff member to get pied in the face at a pep rally that was held on Thursday in the gym. The fortunate victim to receive this pie to the face was Mr. Ober, an English teacher.

For this spirit week, each day had a specific theme: Monday was a cozy day where people wore their pajamas like onesies and pledge pants. Tuesday was twin day where students tried to match with their friends to look like twins. Wednesday was flip-flop day where teachers dressed like students and students dressed like teachers. Finally, on Thursday, students and staff showed their Patterson pride during the day by wearing our school colors which are blue, white, and black, and then ending the celebration with a pep rally. The different cohorts participated in fun games against each other or against the staff members. These games included musical chairs with basketballs and real-life Hungry Hungry Hippos.

All of these events were planned by the SGA, a small group currently in need of more members as they have an important role helping to run fun events within the school for everyone to participate.

“The money raised is for future events for the school”, explained Jayzanay “Jazzy” Blessett, one of the members of SGA.

SGA can help to benefit students with more fun activities if more students join. Also, if you have problems with the way that the school is run and and you want to address those issues, SGA can be a great way to make your voice heard.

Student Government Association gives students a voice

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By Jayzanay Blessett

SGA members have a discussion at a citywide meeting (Photo: Mr. Frederick)

Student Government Association (SGA) helps students speak up on issues that go on in their schools. They also help plan events and make decisions regarding how the money is spent on the events. Currently, Patterson only has a few students who are interested in participating. I would highly encourage students to join or even check out some of the meetings because if you aren’t satisfied with some of the things that are going on, you can promote change and possibly even fix the issue.“SGA (Student Government Association) offers a forum for students to have a voice in their school and to also offer a as vehicle how they can voice their concerns to the school administration and look for ways to change the school to make it better for everybody–Students and staff–so that everybody can have an enjoyable time while they are in high school.”, explains Mr. Frederick, Patterson’s SGA faculty advisor.The elected positions in SGA are President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The president oversees the whole association and focuses on their primary responsibilities. The treasurer focuses on how money is spent on events and the budget we have. The secretary records documents of the SGA and helps with planning and meetings. Lastly, the vice president works with the president, helping with primary issues and solutions. We are currently collaborating with another student group called Catalyst for Change during advisory since we have a small group.

I would also like to mention that students are eligible to run for a city-wide position for the Associated Student Congress of Baltimore City (ASCBC). ASCBC is a city-wide SGA that focuses on bigger issues that impact every student in Baltimore City Public Schools. On October 3rd, Patterson SGA members attended the ASCBC General Assembly, which focused on things that could make our experience as BCPSS students better. We talked about how we could improve high school choice, school lunches, how we could add more robust class courses in our schools, and more.

I am currently running for the Diversity Committee Chair, which targets issues that minority and LGBTQ+ identifying students face in BCPSS. My goal is to ensure equity in every city school and get rid of the stereotypes Patterson and many other city schools have, while also implementing policies to make sure our schools are as inclusive as possible. As a participant, I’d highly encourage students to take this opportunity because it will help you grow as an individual, build your communication skills, give you a sense of accomplishment, and will help you make a change for you and students. If you feel as though you have no voice to speak on issues at Patterson High, think again and join our SGA!