Honored in first trip to Florida Assoc. of Student Councils
GHS Student Senate Student Body Representative Alaina Candelario shows off the gold medal and the binder of Student Senate’s accomplishments responsible for it, and the judge’s score sheet. (Photo/Ken Jackson)
Remember when you were in school and had a class president you voted for?
That person was a part of student government, learning leadership, how to best invest time and work in an administrative setting.
While it’s not currently recognized as academic coursework elsewhere, it has been for the last five years at Gateway High School, and now the Panthers’ program is recognized statewide.
In its first year attending and competing with students from around the state at the Florida Association of Student Councils state convention last week in Lake Worth, the GHS Student Senate brought home the gold medal as tops in District 3.
Gateway’s Student Body Representative Alaina Candelario was also nominated as the FASC Member of the Year.
GHS teacher Nicole Mehit started the program in 2021 after coming from Lake Nona High and getting to build it from scratch.
“I asked (Principal James) Long if we could form it here. He said they had it where he worked before and couldn’t believe we didn’t have it here,” Mehit said. “We built this |with no support or curriculum. I had to reach out to places around the state to figure out the best way to build it.”
Along the way students like Candelario, a senior who joined Student Senate as a freshman, have formed its backbone and discovered their own future callings.
“As a freshman, I never saw myself like this as a senior,” she said. “I just saw Student Senate as a regular class. I know my worth now. Now I feel more confidence, and plan to be a part of student government leadership in college.”
Called the Student Government Association in other places, Student Senate works as a bridge between students and school administrators in order to give student voices a way to be heard in school decisionmaking. If done right, that voice gives students a say in guiding the culture of the school, all the while building leadership skills that will be critical for when they leave Gateway’s walls.
“They have to document their activities, meetings and school involvement and interaction with (school) administration,” Mehit said. “It’s a lot of extra time spent on school stuff. Our underclassmen who went to the conference are back and are ready to take on the world.”
Candelario showed off “The Book”, a thick binder of Student Senate’s accomplishments— which was key to earning that gold medal.
“It was four years of work,” she said. “It’s not just like a class, it’s like an honors program. One of our biggest goals was to get our school and Osceola County recognized. To get recognized and compete, you have to belong to FASC, and that’s a really long process itself.
“We put sweat and tears into this book, and the Class of ’26 made history to be the first school in Osceola County to compete (at FASC).”
In a video of the gold medal announcement, Mehit is seen jumping up as high as any of her students.
“That gold solidified the value of our program. Every Student Senate member past and present form the foundation of this program,” she said.
Candelario said being a part of Student Senate has opened doors for her and motivated her to become the first in her family to graduate college, possibly with a political science degree.
“I know I want to be a speaker,” she said with a laugh, answering the “What Do I Want To Be When I Grow Up?” question. “But I also know I want this program to continue on after I graduate, so I will probably visit (after graduation) and see if I can help those who come after me.”
Mehit said she hopes the Osceola school district will implement an SGA program in all the county high schools, and has even said she found inspiration in this program.
“I wouldn’t be able to love these kids without the love and support of my mom (Michele Izzo) and my daughter (Karli Cole). They’re the reason why I get up every day and try to make a difference in this world. I welcome all the kids in the school to try to do the same.”
