Maggard Makes Plans to Step Away from Student Council, Phasing Out Over Next 3 Years

Britanny Maggard works alongside Student Body Vice President Keatyn Wuest to set up decorations for the Homecoming dance. Maggard and Student Council members work late into Friday Night and all of Saturday morning to make sure that the decorations will be ready for Watauga's Homecoming. Photo by Ellen Hege

Carrie Bradbury, Senior Editor and Review Desk Lead

After serving almost 10 years as the Student Council advisor, Britanny Maggard is ready to step down over a three-year phase out period. The decision to step away from Student Council was not an easy one to make, but when considering what her future might hold, Maggard has concluded that it is time to let a new teacher take on the program. 

“As I'm just growing professionally, I've taken on more responsibilities and leadership around the school,” Maggard said. “I felt it was a good time to hand something off to a younger teacher who is excited to do all of the after school things and can bring in new ideas.”

Maggard plans to teach at Watauga High School until retirement and hopes to always stay connected to the Student Council program, but with increasing responsibilities and limited time, the role as advisor is getting to be too much.

In addition to the benefits that come with stepping away from StuCo, such as having less on her plate, the open position allows for a new teacher to have the opportunity to experience the program.

“I have so many extracurriculars now where I'm stretched thin, so I'm handing that off to someone who doesn't have as much,” Maggard said. “I think it benefits everybody to allow younger teachers to step up and fill those leadership roles.”

Maggard does not plan to give the role to just anyone. Instead she wants her successor to be someone who will bring the same amount of passion to the role as she has for the past nine years. 

“I held off for a while because I didn't know who would be a good fit,” Maggard said.

“Student Council is very close to my heart and I want to give it to somebody who is going to love and care for it like I have done the last nine years.”

In her time as the Student Council advisor, Maggard has overseen many advances within the program. Currently, the council meets with administration every week which was an addition made under Maggard’s lead. When thinking about who would fill her place, finding someone who would continue to advance the program was a major concern of Maggard’s.

“We have taken an approach to make it more student-focused, and making sure [StuCo members] are meeting with admin regularly and doing that side of the job, not just dances,” Maggard said. “I wanted to find somebody that I knew would continue that momentum and make it even better.”

It was not until Maggard met science teacher Olivia Pound that she felt comfortable with the idea of stepping down from the advisor position. Pound was a member of the student council while in high school and came to Maggard asking if there was any way for her to be involved in the high school’s program.

Due to her experience, Maggard knows that being the Student Council advisor is a hard job to hand off to one person. On top of that, Pound is a first year teacher. With concerns of putting too much on one person's plat, the two teachers plan to work together for the next couple of years. 


“I want somebody to be fully prepared, and it's not just dropped on them,” Maggard said. “I know the struggle of being alone doing Student Council, so I don't want anybody to feel like that.”

Instead of doing a complete switch, Maggard and Pound will be working together for the next three years to make the transition as smooth as possible for the students’ benefit.


“We have decided to do a transition phase where I have it mainly this year, and she pops in and out. Next year, we are going to do more of a co-advisement where she has a common planning time with the class so she can come and be a part of the class and see how that side works,” Maggard said. “The year after that, it will flip, where she'll take the class and be leading the bulk of it. And then I will still pop in and help when she needs it, or she has questions.”

Even though Maggard is ready to step away from the advisor position, she does not want to fully part ways with the Student Council program. Weaving the gap between overbearing and absent, Maggard hopes to be a support for Pound for the remainder of her time at Watauga High School.

“I think naturally, when you hand something over to new leadership, you have to also give them the space to where it doesn't feel like I'm watching over,” Maggard said. “I will be there if there's questions, and I'll be happy to help chaperone or be a support if needed. But I also don't want to overstep.”

The role of student council advisor has greatly impacted Maggard’s time at Watauga and will have a lasting impact on her as she transitions into the next phase of her professional career. 

“Having this role has taught me a lot about making sure everyone is feeling listened to and valued,” Maggard said. “Also appreciating all different types of leadership.” 

Student leadership is a major aspect of the student council. From president to staff member, there are many opportunities for students to be able to step up. Watching the types of leadership change and dynamics shift over the years, Maggard has learned a lot about student leadership and her role as the advisor.

“In student council, we have a lot of our type A kind of students,” Maggard said. “
But there's also students that are very analytical, and even though it may come off that they're analyzing and critiquing all the time, that type of leadership is still important.”

Understanding how leadership dynamics work, along with recognizing that when someone is not a natural leader they can still contribute to the group, has helped Maggard better understand her role in the classroom. With a class focused on the student voice, Maggard has found her role to be one of support and problem solving, rather than leadership. 

Maggard believes that experiencing the different role of student council advisor has been huge in preparing her for a future job as an instructional coach.

“It has given me a lot of experience with sitting with somebody with their specific needs and helping them create a plan moving forward,” Maggard said. “I ultimately want to be an instructional coach for teachers, so that's given me a lot of experience with breaking down individuals and then I can coach them on how to respond, moving forward.”