SGA, or the Student Government Association, is an organization of students that are voted on to represent the general high school body. The Carmel executive SGA has a current member count of eight, with each individual having their own jobs and responsibilities. A few of these members include Anna Jernigan, the SGA chaplain; Anna-Blair Huie, one of the two SGA media producers; Dylan Wilson, the SGA treasurer; Josh Bhatt, one of the two SGA spirit officers; and Tyler Connaughton, the SGA student body president.

Anna Jernigan is the current student body chaplain and one of the only two sophomores currently on executive SGA. As chaplain, one of Jernigan’s many jobs is assisting Mr. Robertson and the Christian Leadership class in planning activities, as well as a variety of other things that relate to the religious side of the school. However, positions like this don’t come without their challenges. Jernigan states, “…thinking of new ideas and stuff [sometimes] isn’t my strong suit, so that can definitely be a challenge.” Despite the setbacks that come with having such a position, Jernigan continues to serve as a role model for both her fellow sophomores and the high school as a whole.

Anna-Blair Huie, a current senior at CCS, reprises her role as one of the two media producers on SGA. Huie works hard to create videos, advertisements and even run multiple social media accounts, all with the goal of promoting the school and its many events. Both Anna-Blair and Lucy Woodard, the other media producer, play crucial roles in keeping people informed, as well as getting the general public excited for special upcoming dates happening on campus.

Dylan Wilson is not only a new face to SGA, but he also fills the role of a brand new position this year. As treasurer, Wilson’s initial job was to serve as a communications expert, however, he has overtime come to help in other areas when his fellow members need it. Wilson describes his job as “not super difficult”, but still requiring sacrifices, such as missing some much needed study halls in order to keep things running smoothly. Things like this are a testament to Wilson’s character and an overall display of why people voted for him in the first place.

Josh Bhatt, one of our own writers and editors here on the Blue and Gold, also possesses a role in the CCS executive SGA. With his energetic and outgoing personality, it’s no surprise that Bhatt was voted on to be one of the two spirit officers, with the main job of making the high school more exciting. To do this, Bhatt and his partner, Sloan Pettus, have hosted multiple shows and morning game sessions, many of which result in lots of student interaction. When describing his position, Bhatt states, “something that is very easy is being a face for the students. I’m a very sociable person… so I’m able to get to know and be friendly [with] the people.” Bhatt takes great pride in his work and continues to make people smile in the hallways, even when he is not on stage.

As this year’s student body president, Tyler Connaughton takes on many responsibilities in guiding his team through daily tasks and planned events.  Some day-to-day leadership roles include meeting with Mrs. Nelson and Mr. Law to discuss ways to engage with the students.  He enjoys working with the amazing people on the executive board of SGA,  as they promote school spirit.  He is constantly brainstorming on new ways to build community and fellowship among the students.

This position has been exactly what Connaughton expected. For instance, he knew that he would have to spend a good portion of his free time at school making decisions on behalf of the school. But there was one aspect that he did not know, he was unaware of the fact that he would have to do lots of public speaking. He speaks at events such as parent nights which in his words “came as a shock at first, but now I enjoy doing it.”

 In addition, Connaughton was amazed at the fact that he won because he claims that he was up against a really talented candidate. As a result, he was excited to be a part of SGA and was more than willing to bring that excitement to SGA because he was prepared to start planning for future events. Connaughton is honored that the student body chose him for this position and he works his very hardest to guarantee a great school year. 

Having a very important role comes with its share of challenges. Connaughton says that the greatest obstacle for the SGA had been the theme for the Homecoming dance. He claims that they were stumped on this situation because of the time placement for this year’s dance which had been way earlier than years prior. But during a meeting with his executive group, he and his team came up with the idea of a Christmas themed Homecoming. He says this taught him a valuable lesson as he says, “I learned that it’s easy to get caught up trying to do things on our own, but when we reach out to others, they may have a great idea or brand new perspective.” He thanks the SGA for their great talent and hard work that has succeeded thus far.

Lastly, Connaughton reflects on this year so far and highlights the fact that he loves the opportunity to reach out to his classmates and to make new friends along the way. He wants to leave this school with a lasting positive impact and he will make sure that everyone at Carmel is “seen, known and wanted at this school.”