By: Alexis LeMieux

Student government for the 2026 school year is back in full swing. Current upperclassmen and sophomores were elected as of May 2025, while freshmen were recently elected this fall.

“I ran for the first time during my freshman year. I decided to try to run because I wanted to help represent my grade,” junior senator Rithik Mall said. “I had heard from older members of the student government that it was a good experience. They were correct, which is why I chose to run again last year.”

Student government consists of advisors and students who are working together to promote its goals. It is mainly student led, while the advisors are there to support and guide members. Student government as a whole represents BHS students to administration while also planning and creating events and service projects meant for the entire school.

“I’ve always liked to be a leader for my school and make sure everyone’s voices are heard,” freshmen representative Ava Kapfhammer said. “I like taking leadership and being a responsible, respectful role model for my peers. I’ve always thought it was important to increase spirit in the school.”

This year, both Kapfhammer and Mall are new to student government. For both of them, the application process was relatively easy.

“We had to record ourselves making a video explaining why we wanted to be a representative,” Kapfhammer said. “We had to answer a ton of questions, and then it got posted so people could read it. Then, they had to vote, and we got elected.”

Student government can offer students many skills that are helpful to have for any future possibilities. For Mall, he was able to develop speaking skills through the program.

“To prepare to become a representative, I had to develop speaking skills,” Mall said. “This was something I severely lacked at the start of my freshman year, and now I use it in all parts of my life.”

Now, everyone has been elected. But what’s next?

For each grade level, representatives will be assigned unique events to prepare.

Freshmen plan the teacher turkey fundraiser, sophomores plan the talent show, juniors plan prom, and the seniors are the main body of student government. Their tasks include representing the entirety of the student body, managing funds, and at the end of the school year, the senior president will give a speech at graduation to represent their class as a whole.

“My main tasks thus far include helping run Homecoming, which we recently picked out a theme for, and deciding Spirit Themes,” Mall said. “Later in the year, we help plan Prom, and lastly, we help run the Talent Show.”

A part of planning Homecoming is the court itself. The purpose of Homecoming court is to celebrate the spirit of Bellbrook through past, present, and future students.

“We’re planning Homecoming right now,” Kapfhammer said. “We are choosing the theme, and we have to get all the supplies for it.” 

With the planning of Homecoming, the study body are responsible for nominating students to be on Homecoming court. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will nominate one person each, explaining their reasoning for why they think that person would be a good fit for Homecoming court. Seniors, on the other hand, will pick two students to represent Homecoming court, offering their reasonings.

In the end, the court will consist of 10 seniors, two juniors, two sophomores, and two freshmen, where gender will be distributed evenly. Two senior students with the most votes will be named the Homecoming Golden Royal King and Queen will be awarded that title during the Homecoming football game during halftime. All selected court members will be given a complimentary ticket to Homecoming.

But, there is more planning that needs to be done beyond that for the school.

“We help different clubs by dedicating part of the budget to them,” Mall said. “We go over the present financial requests sent to us.”

Representatives work together to collect and distribute the funds that they received to give back to students and the community. When looking for a donation, the organization or individual must send a letter over to the student government advisor. Once received, the request will be discussed and voted upon. 

Above all that happens within student government, both Mall and Kapfhammer speak highly of the club.
“I did student government in middle school and really enjoyed it,” Kapfhammer said. “I just like the overall aspect of what it means and what it’s for. I just thought it was a really good and fun leadership opportunity.”

“I like the freedom that we have in the student government,” Mall said. “Mrs. Bills and the other advisors will guide us into making smart decisions that follow school rules and will benefit most people, but they give us, the students, most of the say in the decisions.”