Ty Donath was elected as president of Student Government this past spring. Donath has been thoroughly involved in the Parker community since his freshman year when he transferred from Lincoln Elementary.
Off the bat, Donath was eager to get to know people. From simply engaging in conversations with anyone who wanted to talk to participating in all of the sports offered, he made it a point to be an open, approachable person. After showing up for teammates on and off the field and court, Donath was named baseball captain after just two years on the team.
“Ty was voted as a captain last season, and he did a really nice job with taking that leadership position,” baseball coach, physical education teacher and grade head of the freshman class Tyler Heidtke. “I think one of the best qualities of Ty is his ability to not be too serious. He can joke around and be a happy-go-lucky guy, and then when we need him to buckle down and get serious, he can flip that switch really easily. That’s what makes him such a good captain.”
Donath’s main objective in the coming year is to change the sentiment that Student Government is, stated simply, boring. Many students don’t feel this way, but Donath plans on changing the minds of those that do. His platform was predicated on the group consensus that SG doesn’t truly do much for the student body, and that sitting in a monotonous meeting once a week isn’t worth the minor improvements made. Why write anonymous comments when there’s never time for them to be addressed properly? Why have committee meetings and then spend time discussing these meetings when nothing of true importance is being amended? Why would one with several extracurriculars want to use up that precious moment for something they find pointless when they could knock off an hour of homework, or even spend time with friends? These are the thoughts that influenced Donath to run for President.
Having set a sizable challenge for himself, Donath is looking to follow through with these promises. He hopes that SG meetings will turn into a well anticipated community gathering that students look forward to compared to the mandatory attendance requirement that exists right now. He dreams of the day that these assemblies are looked forward to, not dreaded. Especially now that they’ll be more frequent due to the remodeled schedule, he not only wants the time spent to be enjoyable, but also a more comfortable space for those who might feel shy speaking out.
“I want to increase participation, especially for the freshman. I really want to make student government a safer environment,” Donath said.
One of the flaws in Student Government meetings last year was the time spent on each topic. This was discussed in the speeches given by other presidential candidates as well. Many members of the student body have suggested that more time should be allocated for anonymous comments. Last year, after an amendment was brought up, people would stand and speak at the microphones and share their perspectives on why or why not the system should be changed. For those who are less comfortable speaking in front of a crowd, the way to share opinions without standing up is through anonymous comments.
The note cards filled with the opinions of students often were not addressed last year. What would typically happen was people would write their thoughts down, cards would be collected, and then by the time the lines behind the microphones were no longer, it was time for everyone’s next class. Donath values each voice equally and plans to ensure that all thoughts are all heard.
“More anonymous comments – they’re useless. I know it takes time to collect them, and last year they would get to the mic and then we’d realize we didn’t have time to even read them, and I want to change that”
Some students feel that all comments should be heard. “I think anonymous comments should be shared with all of the student body because everyone deserves to have their opinion heard even if they don’t want to share it for themselves,” said senior Emma Kling.
Donath wants to prove that SG can be engaging and appealing, and plans to pay more attention to committee meetings. The Upper School should get excited for the games and competitions in SG to come!
