By Valeria Benitez
After a heated (rivalry you may say, since they are dating) debate this past Tuesday, Cate Turner and Henry Slagle faced off in one of the most anticipated Student Government Association (SGA) presidential elections of the year. By 3:10 p.m., students across campus were anxiously waiting for the results. Group chats (such as my friend’s group chat LEFTBEN) were buzzing anxiously, asking Cate when she would find out if she won.
In the end, Cate won.
When I asked her about changes she would make if elected, Cate immediately pointed to one policy she feels strongly about: adjusting sit-down exams in the fall. I for one believe this is necessary because sometimes you have a 90 in a class and you don’t want the exam to tank your grade. She told me “sometimes exams can be unnecessary, especially for students who have already demonstrated strong performance throughout the semester and it’s not really fair if the exam brings down their grade”.
Cate shared that she has been working closely with SGA committee groups on an exam exemption proposal. Alongside her committee, she has helped develop an idea that would exempt students who achieve a 92 weighted GPA (principal’s list) during the semester from one sit-down written exam. This exemption would apply only in the fall semester and would allow students to maintain their semester grade in the class they chose for the exam exemption.
Although the proposal has not yet been approved, it has had positive feedback from the administration. Cate and the SGA committee have already met with school administrators, including Ms. Lucas and Mr. Brunt, and are scheduled to present their idea in a department head meeting later in April (after our research paper is done).
I then curiously asked Cate who inspired her for this leadership role and who influences her daily. Without a second thought, she told me, “My dad has always encouraged me to strive to be the most influential and effective person in any room.”
Looking ahead, Cate told me she is so excited about the responsibilities of being SGA president. She described herself as someone who likes to stay informed and involved, admitting she can be a bit of a “control freak” in the best way. For her, understanding what is happening across the school and being actively engaged is not just important and it is something she genuinely enjoys. She believes this mindset will help her better serve the student body.
One of the most common questions during the debate centered around accessibility: how can SGA become more approachable for all students? Cate told me SGA is already working on a SGA newsletter, which will be available in the school’s resource tab next year. This way, students don’t have to confront her if they don’t want to, and it can be anonymous.
She explained that this tab on MyLion will serve as an easy and effective way for students to ask questions, share concerns, and stay informed throughout the year. She told me her main goal is to make communication with SGA more open and straightforward.
As for her future plans, Cate emphasized that she wants to listen to people’s opinions. She has already begun gathering suggestions from students in hallways and around campus, writing down ideas and concerns she hears. She plans to meet with Mrs. Hooker early on to begin turning those ideas into action.
At the same time, she acknowledged that leadership comes with uncertainty. Cate told me “ I feel nervous about the level of control I may not have and the adjustments l will need to make”. However, she also recognizes that accepting those challenges is part of growing as a leader.
For those of you who know Cate, her interest in leadership is not new. She told me, “I have wanted to be president since kindergarten.” Over time, she has discovered a genuine passion for public speaking, joining speech and debate, as well as taking on influential roles within the school community. She believes that being SGA president aligns well with her personality and the qualities she brings to leadership.
Reflecting on the campaign itself, Cate told me running against Henry, she felt a bit nervous and “there were definitely a few moments of awkwardness.” Despite some awkwardness, she felt the debate went well and was pretty civil. Her friends also did a pretty great job promoting her campaign with TikTok edits of Cate on people’s for-you pages and Grace Schmidt going down the hall, threatening people to vote for Cate.
And now, for the question everyone has been waiting for. Lunch. What will lunch be like next year? Well, Cate is already on that. She talked to the head of school, Mrs. Cole, and discovered that the food trucks Henry mentioned might be possible only twice a month. So don’t get your hopes up thinking every Friday next year you will get tacos or Chick-fil-A for lunch.
She told me that lunch next year will work similarly to how it did during the pandemic, with a big white tent on Railey, since the new kitchen will be at the physical plant up by the baseball field. “I’m trying my best to figure out how to limit the time we spend outside for lunch on days where it’s too cold or too hot,” Cate added.
As with everything else, she is open to any suggestions.
