Seminary Class Officers

Your seminary class should include a class president who conducts the meetings. The president leads the class by welcoming them, announcing prayers, and devotionals, etc, and turns time to the teacher. No other officers are needed, but following are some ideas if you’d like to include more students: My friend DeAnn uses a president and vice-president. These offices rotate conducting every other week for a few months, and then she asks for new officers. DeAnn tries to use as many Seniors as possible because you can mark on your BYU application if you were a class officer in Seminary. She first checks with the Bishop for approval, then talks to the parent(s), and then asks the student to be an officer. Being a class officer should require little or no time outside of class. Seminary class officers are NOT called and set apart, but you should check with the Bishop or Branch President before asking students to serve as officers.

Jenny’s Seminary Class Officer Responsibilities Now that I’ve had a year of Seminary to experiment, I know better what I would like my seminary class officers to do:

President

• arrives on time.
• conducts Seminary every other week and in the vice-president’s absence
• selects prayers
• works to build class unity by greeting all class members with a smile and kind word
• models classroom leadership skills: SLAMM
• obtains a list of home and cell numbers for seminary students and their parents from the secretary
• notifies students by telephone, Facebook post, or text when Seminary is canceled
• determines ways to recognize class member birthdays

Vice President

• arrives on time.
• conducts Seminary every other week and in the president’s absence
• selects prayers
• helps the president build class unity by looking for and speaking kind words to students who may be over tired or feeling down
• helps the president recognize class member birthdays
• models classroom leadership skills: SLAMM

Secretary / Time Turner

• Once per week: Posts the week’s reading assignments by the door
• tracks upcoming birthdays for the president
• maintains a list of home and cell numbers for seminary students and their parents, notifying the class president of any changes
• models classroom leadership skills: SLAMM
• operates the timer during timed activities

Other Class Officer Responsibility Ideas

You take a look at John Bushman’s Class Officer Responsibilities. If you’d like ideas for more class officers, check out SugarDoodle’s list of Seminary class Officers and responsibilities – this seems a little over the top to me, but if you have a large class, you might use some or all of it. I especially like the idea of having a birthday officer:

Class President:

1. Conducts the class and does all announcements. 2. Conducts the class presidency meeting weekly. a. Before that meeting occurs, he/she checks with other class officers and goes over items for their presidency meeting agenda. b. The meeting is concerned with class business (i.e. students, devotionals, birthdays, spotlights, activities, etc.) c. The meeting is concerned with “counsel business”, i.e. missionary week, friends week, etc.

Devotional Vice President:

1. Responsible for the devotional each day. 2. Uses students by volunteering or by assignment. 3. Does a chart with the assignments. 4. Calls the people to remind them and to make sure that they are prepared or even assists them in their preparation. Is prepared to fill in should an emergency occur and the assigned devotional is not there. 5. Is courteous enough to write a thank you note or to somehow express appreciation for the devotionals done. 6. Reports to the Class President each day who has the devotional so that he/she can stand before their class and announce it with some confidence and authority. 7. Attempts to check with the teacher and the calendar to make sure that the devotionals tie in with the lesson or that the “spirit” of the activity of the day.

Social Vice President:

1. Takes care of the “two” in-class parties per year…Christmas and end of year. 2. Assists in the preparation of any outside of class parties. 3. Takes care of birthdays personally or assigns anything that will take place on that day for recognition from the class. 4. Is responsible for spotlighting class members. 5. Helps people feel welcome in class. 6. Follows up on “sick” or “injured students.”

Academic/Missionary Vice President:

1. Scripture Chase 2. Scripture Memorization 3. Reading 4. Recruiting of non-attenders or potential attenders 5. Missionary Week Secretary: 1. President’s agenda 2. Presidency Meeting minutes 3. Takes class roll. 4. Notifies the teacher and the President of an absentee in three days succession. 5. Calls the student when absent two days in succession to see if “ill” or “injured”. 6. Reminds other class officers of items that they need to follow up on before the Presidency Meeting. 7. The President’s memory!!! Source: http://www.sugardoodle.net/Seminary/Seminary%20Class%20Pres%20and%20thei..

More posts on Seminary Class Presidencies

The Seminary Facebook group has shared some of their ideas and questions about class presidencies.  Those are listed below:

• Class presidency responsibilities?

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