Class President

A Class President is usually the leader of a student body class and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a Student Council in an elementary, junior high, high school, or college. Class Presidents are generally elected by the class. Class Presidents are different from the Student Body President in that they represent only a specific class of students, rather than the entire student body. Student body presidents generally lead and represent the whole of the student body, and both positions are commonly confused with each other. Research has shown that young women are less likely to serve as class presidents than male students in co-ed learning environments. [Yuracko, K.A. (2003) "Perfectionism and Contemporary Feminist Values." Indiana University Press. p 96.]

Duties and term

The primary duties of the Class President usually include working with students to resolve problems, and informing school leaders and the Student Council of ideas emanating from the class. The President also has the responsibility of leading class cabinet meetings and organizing student activities and events. The term of a Class President is one year in most schools. The student holding the office usually has the option of running again for the coming year. Also, the class president in some schools is in charge of building funds for the class to use for activities, such as prom. [Langum, D.J. and Walthall, H.P. (1997) "From Maverick to Mainstream: Cumberland School of Law, 1847-1997." University of Georgia Press.] Students in this position are also often looked to as token student voice representatives. [(2004) "Letters to the Next President: What We Can Do About the Real Crisis in Public Education." Teachers College Press. p. 247.]

enior class president

In some schools, there is a Senior Class President. The Senior Class President is the leader of the senior class in a high school or college. He/she is sometimes responsible for planning some of the events surrounding graduation. After graduation, the Senior Class President is sometimes put in charge of planning class reunions in the years ahead. Senior Class Presidents usually continue to have the honorary title of President beyond graduation.

Popular culture references

The stereotype of the Class President has been typecast in books, [Hurwitz, J. (1990) "Class President." HarperCollins.] [Sachar, L. (1999) "Marvin Redpost: Class President." Random House.] movies and television. Typical story lines sometimes contain a nerd or underdog claiming the title from a more popular student. The stereotype has also been used as a political allegory since the 1800s, [(1908) "Taft and Labor", "McClure's Magazine." October 1908. p 603.] describing everyone from the President of the United States to roles for African American women in the U.S. Congress. [McCain Gill, L. (1997) "African American Women in Congress: Forming and Transforming History." Rutgers University Press. p 97.]

Fictitious characters in the role of Class President have included:

*Pedro Sanchez, played by Efren Ramirez, runs successfully for Class President in the 2003 movie "Napoleon Dynamite".
*Zach Siler, played by Freddie Prinze Jr. is the popular jock and Class President in the 1999 film "She's All That".
*Wilford "Wil C" Cardon is the Class President in the independent film produced by DJ Iggy, titled, "The Rise of Number 45".
*Jessie Spano, played by Elizabeth Berkley, is the Class President at Bayside High School in the television series "Saved by the Bell".
*Ryoko Asakura in the anime "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya".
*Tracy Flick, Reese Witherspoon, runs for Class President in the 1999 film "Election".
*Steve Holt, played by Justin Grant Wade, is Class President of the high school that George Michael Bluth and Maeby Funke attend in the television series "Arrested Development".

List of class presidents

* Jane Addams [Knight, L.W. (2005) "Citizen: Jane Addams and the Struggle for Democracy." University of Chicago Press. p 439.]
* Molly Dewson [Ware, S. (1989) "Partner and I: Molly Dewson, Feminism, and New Deal Politics." Yale University Press. p 29.]
* Troy H. Middleton ["Troy H. Middleton: A biography." LSU Press. p 1974.]
* Richard Nixon [Degregorio, W.A. (2004) "The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents." Barnes & Noble Books. p 583.]
* George H.W. Bush [Degregorio, W.A. (2004) "The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents." Barnes & Noble Books. p 668.]
* Bill Clinton [Degregorio, W.A. (2004) "The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents." Barnes & Noble Books. p 707.]
* George W. Bush [Degregorio, W.A. (2004) "The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents." Barnes & Noble Books. p 758.]
* Joseph C. Sebastianelli
* Barack Obama

References