The American Student Council Association honored Buckland Mills Elementary School with the 2025 Student Council Schools of Excellence Award.  

This award celebrates outstanding commitment to community service, student leadership, citizenship, and school spirit. Buckland Mills Elementary was the only school in Virginia to receive this recognition. 

“Their efforts exemplify how we bring our school vision to life: Buckland Mills is a community of lifelong learners, critical and compassionate thinkers, and responsible citizens of our country and the world. It is truly rewarding to know that we are making our school’s vision a reality,” shared Minaxi Odedra, principal at the school. 

At Buckland Mills, the SCA is dedicated to making a positive impact both within the school and in the broader community. 

The SCA leadership council is made up of four fifth-grade officers: George Murphy, president; Ian Colton, vice president; Emma Li, secretary; and Berrin Ulger, reporter. This schoolwide program allows classroom representatives to bring student feedback directly to the council, ensuring student voices are heard and considered. 

“If a group of students say they don’t like something about the school, we can help change it and make it better,” explained Emma.

Courtney Warnell, a fourth-grade teacher, and Lora Schalow, an instructional technology coach, serve as SCA advisors and shared that they’ve truly enjoyed watching the students grow during their time in the association. 

Throughout the school year, the SCA led several projects, including a “Cans from Caring Cats” food drive, that collected 696 pounds of food for the Haymarket Food Pantry; a “Coats from Caring Cats” coat drive, with donations to the House of Mercy; and an “Animal Drive” with cat items donated to For the Cats’ Sake and dog items going to the Fauquier SPCA. 

“I am so proud of our students for understanding the importance of giving back and beginning to take action to help the community. It’s inspiring to see how engaged they are with the SCA projects, and I’m excited to see what they will do next,” said Odedra. 

“I felt happy and grateful to be able to do it because, in all my years before this, I’ve always wanted to help, so it was nice to be able to know that I could do something else to help not just our school but the whole community around us,” shared Ian. 

The four student council officers are off to middle school next year but say the leadership skills and experience they gained in the SCA will remain with them as they embark on their new journey.