The Senior Class Council has been active in reaching out to Stevenson’s class of 2020 by planning events, designing t-shirts, and getting students involved in activities.
The council meets weekly throughout the academic year to collaborate about what they can do to involve the senior class community. The purpose of the council is to give seniors a voice and to bring them together throughout the school year, said Maumi Chatterton, assistant to the vice president of student affairs and senior class advisor.
One purpose of the council is to raise financial support through fundraisers, t-shirt sales, and events. All proceeds go towards “Grad Week,” a week of festivities filled with trips, activities, and events for the senior class before Commencement in May.
The council has six members, who come from different majors including nursing, criminal justice, psychology, and interdisciplinary. This demonstrates the council’s diversity in an attempt to get people involved from different parts of the class and to be able to reach every senior, said Ashley Hamilton, the senior representative on the Senior Class Council and SGA. “I think everyone can bring something very unique and all ideas are important,” she added.
This year, the council has seen the most sales for the t-shirt they designed for the senior class that was available before Homecoming. Hamilton said that the council came up with ideas, voted on, and edited the design to make sure that the t-shirt was personalized for Stevenson. She added that the council hopes to design two more t-shirts to be sold before graduation.
The council is unique because members plan and organize Stevenson’s yearly Baccalaureate service, an interdenominational religious ceremony celebrating senior graduates. “It is a unique ceremony tied directly to the senior class of that year,” said Chatterton.
The council plans the speakers, selects the music, chooses the readings, and designs the senior class banner. The council seeks to see “who is the class and what are they about,” said Chatterton. When members of the council sit on stage at the Baccalaureate service, “they should feel proud because they were responsible for planning the event, and there are sometimes over 1000 people in the audience,” she added.
The Senior Class Council was responsible for planning the Homecoming bonfire in October for which over 300 students came out, even though it had been canceled at the last minute on Thursday and rescheduled for the following evening.
The council also recently collaborated with other groups to advocate for shuttle transportation for Stevenson’s men’s and women’s opening ice hockey games Nov. 1 and 2. These shuttles will provide roundtrips from the Ratcliffe Center to Reisterstown Sportsplex on the date of the games.
“The council for me is watching them grow into family. You have this group of people who have been brought together, who just really become close friends and has been one of my favorite councils to be an advisor for,” said Chatterton.
The council is active on social media, where seniors can follow them on Instagram @su_class2020 as well as their Facebook page @Stevenson University Class of 2020.