Following a school-wide election in early May, five students were elected to serve as Student Government officers for the 2025-2026 school year. These elected students will represent the State High student body and communicate student and school-wide needs to administrators. 

“It is so valuable. I do not think students believe that they can make a change, and they can. They have input. They have as much input as they want,” student government adviser Andy Merritt said. 

The criteria for running for a student government position included attending at least one full year of Leadership Council meetings and two years if running for president. Students campaigned on WSCH and on posters throughout the school to connect with classmates and explain why they should earn a vote. 

Sophomore Yidi Zhang (parliamentarian), junior Olivia Shen (treasurer), sophomore Dasha Nekrutenko (secretary), junior Ryan Brown (vice president), and junior Grace Yang (president) will represent the student body in the coming school year. Here is a closer look at the elected officers and what they hope to accomplish for the upcoming school year.

Parliamentarian: Yidi Zhang

Sophomore Yidi Zhang was elected parliamentarian for the upcoming school year. The parliamentarian ensures that members and students adhere to the guidelines outlined in the student government constitution. 

“Everything we do goes through the Constitution. It is one of the things that I reread not too long ago, when we were getting ready for our elections, just making sure that we had met all the criteria in the Constitution. That is the role of the parliamentarian. If somebody is not qualified, the parliamentarian says they are not qualified. They only came to one of our leadership council meetings. You cannot run for office,” Merritt said. 

Zhang became interested in student government after attending the meetings for Leadership Council.

“I got an email and said, ‘This is kind of cool’. I started going to the meetings, and I was like, we actually really have the opportunity for student voices to be heard and to make an impact.  I feel like at our school, since we have so many students, it is hard to be a representative of everyone,” Zhang said. “This is part of the reason why I went for parliamentarian because a lot of it is making sure that student rights are being followed by the school and that administrators are adhering to the legal rights students have for education. That is very meaningful to me.”

Outside of student government, Zhang is very involved throughout the school, including playing the flute in the Symphonic Band, being a part of the Pennsylvania Music Association, being an officer for the Asian American Pacific Islander club, serving as the treasurer for the Diversity and Activism/Cultural Celebration Committee, and being a member of the mock trial team and DECA. 

She was inspired to run for parliamentarian because of her interest in student rights and the Student Government Constitution, which aligned with her future goal of studying law. She saw the opportunity as an extension of her mock trial experience, but now more focused on the student body. 

Zhang plans to prioritize ensuring that the school is a safe and enjoyable place for all students.

Treasurer: Olivia Shen 

Junior Olivia Shen was elected as student government treasurer. The treasurer is responsible for managing student government finances.

Shen describes herself as very detail-oriented, a quality essential to accurately managing budgets and staying organized. 

“I am also hoping to bring back the catalog program, which was an initiative in years prior, where we brought middle schoolers here to the high school and helped them explore the CTC portion of our curriculum,” Shen said. “I am looking forward to working on that.

Shen is interested in pursuing a career in business with economics, and she sees serving as treasurer as a beneficial opportunity for her future.  

“I am most excited about having more exposure in the world of leadership and representing my peers. I know that student government will provide me with lots of opportunities,” Shen said.

Outside of  student government, Shen has a variety of extracurricular activities, including the Director of Career Development for DECA, serving on the executive council board for PA state DECA, vice president of Curing with Care (a cancer advocacy organization), managing grants and funding for a robotics team in the Local Lake Center County region, and exploring how public policy mixes with business. 

In her role as treasurer, Shen is excited for the many opportunities the role will bring and will continue to impact State High positively. 

“I am really looking forward to being a representative for my fellow students and working and collaborating with my other officers,” Shen said.

Secretary: Dasha Nekrutenko

Sophomore Dasha Nekrutenko won the student vote for secretary for the upcoming school year. 

Nekrutenko’s passion for leadership makes student government secretary a way to stay organized and contribute to the school environment.

“I have always enjoyed leadership. I would consistently attend Leadership Council, and I enjoyed it. I liked how everyone on the council had ideas they wanted to implement and were actively working towards making the school a more comfortable community,” Nekrutenko said.

When election applications were announced, Nekrutenko was excited to take advantage of the leadership opportunity.

“This is something I could use to help others and learn more about these types of positions in the future if I want to go into administration,” Nekrutenko said.

Outside of student government, Nekrutenko enjoys math and science-related topics and activities. She is involved in science bowl, science olympiad, and environmental club. In her free time, she enjoys bird watching, tennis, and spending time outdoors. 

As secretary, she hopes to keep all students informed about everything happening in the school. 

“I feel like there have been a lot of moments where there is confusion regarding events. Especially this year, there have been a lot of those. I think that one of the most important things for me as a student is to have awareness of how to navigate our whole school community,” Nekrutenko said.

With a clear focus on keeping students informed, Nekrutenko is excited to connect with people using efficient and effective communication throughout the school.

Vice President: Ryan Brown

Junior Ryan Brown will hold the position of State High’s vice president. The vice president’s role closely aligns with the role of the president, especially when the administration has school-wide issues to address and a student representative is needed. When the president is unavailable, the vice president will fulfill the role. Merritt explained the communication process between the administrator and officers.

“There are a couple of issues that we have had that have gone sideways in the school and the [president] gets the first phone call for whatever was needed. The president is the first line for Mrs. Tobias. If the president is not here, then it is [the vice president],” Brown said.

Brown became interested in student government and desired to strengthen school culture as well as his leadership skills.

“I was really looking to be part of a leadership role where I can engage with administration and lead initiatives that I plan on carrying out, giving students more of a voice within the school system, and enhancing the current school spirit,” Brown said.

Outside of Student Government, Brown is involved in DECA, speech and debate, and on the track and field team, where he competes in hurdles. He is currently committed to working on his Eagle Scout project and also serves as a student representative for the school board. 

As part of student government, Brown hopes to accomplish many initiatives.

“One of our main goals is to make Leadership Council and student government a bigger club and increase attendance. A goal could be to double our attendance from this year by making it more accessible, ensuring people know when it is, and enhancing marketing efforts. I also want to work with the administration and athletic directors to make our student sections more engaged and united. Another initiative is revisiting some of those AI policies and making sure they are aligned with our future goals,” Brown said.

Brown is excited to work closely with other officers to achieve his initiatives.

President: Grace Yang

Junior Grace Yang was elected president for the 2025-2026 school year. She is a returning officer and was treasurer for the 2024-2025 school year. 

“This year, I am student government treasurer, and that has been a unique experience because I get to work with administration, and other officers have been really good supporters,” Yang said.

“The main role of the president is to set the agenda for student government. We are going to talk about X, Y, and Z, or whatever the issues are. The great thing about being the president is that you get to know all the administrators. Their main function is to ensure that the Student Government is operating and then to work with the administration or to be the first line for the administration,” Merritt said.

Outside of student government, Yang is active in science olympiad, ocean bowl, and choir. 

Her decision to run for president was driven by her role in wanting to advocate for students.

“I felt capable and also responsible for other students in our school.  That was kind of why I wanted to pursue it further. Student government president means more responsibility in reaching out to students and also reaching out to the administration about concerns that students have,” Yang said. 

Yang has a clear vision for her presidency for the upcoming school year. 

“I want to build a greater connection with students. We have a leadership council, which is how we get concerns that the student body may have to administration, but I think some students do not know about it. Some students do not know what student government does,” Yang said. “I want to argue for other projects, like building connections with the school board. We have connections with the administration within the building, but the school board kind of is off in its own little world. They want to help, and they have come a lot this year, but I want to make that even better next year.”

Yang looks forward to supporting State High Student Government team and discussing issues occurring within the school. She is prepared to make the most of her time as president and make a lasting impact on students and our school. 

Student government elected officers are preparing for an impactful school year that allows them to accomplish their goals and continue their commitment to making a difference at State High. 

“I am really looking forward to working alongside them this year,” Shen said. “All five of us are really hard-working people, and we all have a lot of great ideas. I think next year will be a good year.”

“Young people can make a huge difference. The amount of power you guys have in schools, collectively, is huge. I do not think you guys realize how much power you could have to do things to get things the way you want them,” Merritt said.

If you are a student looking to get involved in making a change at State High, fill out this form to join Leadership Council. 

Note: Grace Yang and Ryan Brown were incorrectly listed as seniors in the first paragraph. They are currently juniors and this is reflected later in the article.