*This article has been corrected since published.
For Allison Kent Cotner, the experience of being the SGA president during the 1997 school year was a beneficial learning experience that prepared her for future jobs. In some ways, her term mirrors that of today’s SGA. Many of the responsibilities of the SGA, such as organizing homecoming events and fundraisers, have remained the same in the 15 years since her graduation.
Cotner remembers the election as a competitive one, as she ran against four other students for SGA president. Due to some “creative campaigning ideas” that she used, Cotner described the election as “controversial.” One of Cotner’s goals during her presidency was to bring back particular school traditions, such as the school fight song, which helped maintain school history and pride.
“In previous years, [the song] had been associated with hazing by upperclassmen, so the administration outlawed forced singing of it by underclassmen,” she said. “We were able to bring back the tradition in a way that did not constitute hazing, but built feelings of school pride and belonging ([rather than] singling out any individuals in an embarrassing way).”
As a history and economics teacher, former WJ principal Dr. Christopher Garran, who recently moved on to the position of county superintendent, was also the SGA and leadership class sponsor. Cotner recalls her experiences with Garran and her fellow SGA officers.
“Before the school year started, he took all of us newly elected SGA officers hiking and camping to bond us as a team,” she said. “I remember him being very supportive of our ideas, but also helping us to figure out realistic ways to get them done.”
After graduating, Cotner went on to attend the University of Maryland (UMD), where she was also involved in student government as the SGA representative of the College of Life Sciences. Cotner was also the House Manager of her sorority.
In May of 2001, after graduating from UMD, Cotner resided in the D.C. Metropolitan area where she worked as a Management Consultant. In 2009, she moved to Danville, Pa. with her husband. Currently, Cotner takes care of her 20 month old son, Henry, and is expecting another child in April.
