The Student Government Association (SGA) is a vital part of the Cherry Hill East community that bridges the connection between East students and administration. Grade-level SGA—whether it be presidents, vice-presidents or class representatives—is responsible for managing its respective class and planning specific events. Meanwhile, the schoolwide SGA handles events and addresses topics that pertain to all students at East, such as planning Homecoming and spirit weeks throughout the year. SGA meets constantly to complete their respective responsibilities, with the beginning of the year serving as a crucial time for SGA to determine their overall goals, begin planning activities, meet with advisors and assign responsibilities by meeting with their committees: Events, Fundraising, or Communications. 

Eastside interviewed each of the grade-level SGA presidents and the schoolwide SGA president to assess their plans for the year and what they are currently working on. Here’s what they said:

Class of 2029:

On Thursday, September 25, 2025, Freshman SGA announced Aaleya Ganguly (‘29) as president of their class. 

Ganguly describes the campaigning process as a stressful but creative process. Whether it was preparing her speech or staying up late at night to make posters, campaigning was a long process that required a lot of commitment on her part – but it was definitely worth it in the end. 

“I think [my speech] is where I hopefully think that a lot of people started to trust me and started to understand that I want the best for our grade,” said Ganguly. 

Ganguly decided to run for president due to her desire to help her peers acclimate to high school by providing a support system. She stays true to that promise now, emphasizing her availability to hear from her fellow peers. 

Along with her desire to build connections with students in her class, Ganguly also plans to provide exciting experiences for her peers. Freshman year can be difficult to navigate, which is why Ganguly believes that fun is important to encourage freshmen to socialize with their class. For example, Ganguly hopes to introduce a Meme Day during Spirit Week. 

Overall, the freshman class can look forward to a lot of exciting activities from SGA as they acclimate to their first year at East. 

Class of 2028:

The class of 2028 is determined to make this year a year full of activities, school spirit, and utilizing every opportunity for the class to come together. 

President Matthew Fingerman (‘28) emphasized the importance of increasing participation in school activities, especially after a rather quiet freshman year. 

“Freshman year, not many people were coming to events,” said Fingerman. “They’re still getting figured out. So we’re trying to focus on getting more people to come to events, which will lead to them having more fun, and that’s our overall goal.”

Fingerman vows to do whatever it takes to engage his class through meaningful activities that make the class want to come out and enjoy a fun night with their friends.

More structured communication and organization, between both students and their SGA representatives as well as between students and their teachers, is one of Fingerman’s most prominent goals.  

“There’s a lot of changes that have been going on [like] with the fire drill, [but] I think it’s important that we get through to everybody that these changes are good, and we need this organization in school because that’s what makes it better for learning,” said Fingerman. 

As a class leader, Fingerman acknowledges that he needs to demonstrate that change can be positive and that these shifts are necessary to support East students and their security in school. 

In the upcoming months, the class of 2028 can look forward to movie nights, a Flyers trip with the class of 2027, and Sophomore Cotillion in the winter. 

“There’s no point, really, in coming to school every day without having fun with your friends, without doing everything you love in school, right?” said Fingerman. 

Class of 2027:

Despite the stress that comes with junior year, class president Zain Rizvi (‘27) is determined to make junior year enjoyable and memorable for all. Rizvi, along with his three class vice presidents and class advisors, is determined to make this year successful through working with the administration, ensuring every student feels represented and respected, and planning class activities/dances that are entertaining and meaningful.   

Rizvi emphasized the importance of hosting activities to unite students and create lasting memories. 

“We did the ice cream social on September 5th to begin the school year, and that was really good because a lot of people came and a lot of people just had fun with their friends, which is what we’re aiming to do,” said Rizvi. 

Moving forward, the class hopes to continue hosting similar events, as they are currently working on a Flyers Game with the class of 2028 for December 11, 2025, more fundraisers, and Junior Prom in the spring. 

Additionally, Rizvi prioritized the importance of bridging the gap between the class and the students to the administration. The class officers plan to meet with their Assistant Principal, Ms. Pereira, on a regular basis to discuss issues that affect the student body directly. 

The class officers stressed the need for tangible student input, mainly through Google Classroom polls/forms, Instagram messages, and one-on-one conversations. Meeting with students and getting their honest feedback is key to Rivzi’s plans for this year, and he will make that one of his major goals to ensure success for the junior class as they navigate what is notoriously known as ‘the hardest year in high school’. 

Class of 2026:

Senior year is an important time for all students. Whether it be preparing for life after graduation or transitioning into an adult, it is a time filled with change of all sorts. As the Class of 2026 soaks up the final moments of its high school career, Senior SGA is planning activities to make senior year as memorable as possible. 

“I’ve always kind of looked [at] senior year as so important…and I feel like that’s how a lot of people feel as well. So I just want to be able to make sure it’s really special and a good time,” said senior class president Brooke Levy (‘26). 

Another priority of Senior SGA is facilitating more communication to ensure that seniors and all other East students are constantly aware of everything going on. For example, Levy plans to encourage the SGA representatives to constantly communicate with other students in order to assess their opinions on activity ideas and inform them of upcoming projects. 

As for specific things to look forward to, Levy emphasizes that schoolwide SGA will be bringing back Wellness Day this school year. This is a day for students to prioritize their mental health and alleviate academic stress as they get to enjoy different activities planned by East clubs. Additionally, Class of 2026 SGA has already started discussing Senior Prom and plans to make it an especially unforgettable experience to commemorate the end of senior year. 

Levy encourages seniors to participate in SGA events to make the most of their last year, even if they haven’t in previous years. The Spirit Week dance, for example, is something Levy highly encourages East seniors to partake in, even if they have no experience dancing.

Overall, seniors can expect an exciting year ahead as they cherish their final memories before graduating from East and taking their next steps. 

“I’m just excited to have a bunch of events and make sure people feel included in decisions,” concludes Levy. 

Schoolwide SGA

Transitioning from class to schoolwide SGA is a big change due to a significant shift in responsibility. However, schoolwide president Anna Bardunias (‘26) has proven to be successful so far amidst the change by setting her priorities straight for the year. 

“I’m in charge of all of the reps of all the grades and all of the class officers, which is a lot, but I could not be more excited,” said Bardunias.

Bardunias emphasizes that students should take advantage of a major addition that SGA implemented this year: SGA Town Hall. The first town hall was held on Wednesday, October 8, during which students were able to voice their concerns and input. Bardunias believes that these meetings are essential for the SGA officers to hear from all students in a comfortable environment. 

Bardunias also plans to facilitate communication between SGA and East students by encouraging SGA officers to walk around cafeterias 1 and 2 frequently during the lunch periods. This serves as another way for student input to be heard and for class officers, especially to better understand the priorities of their respective grades.

As schoolwide president, Bardunias plans to serve as a line of communication between students and both the administration of East and that of the Cherry Hill Public Schools District. Bardunias met frequently with former principal Mr. Finkle and plans to do the same with interim principal Ms. Walker. Additionally, she intends to stay updated with the Board of Education (BOE) meetings by speaking with BOE student representatives Landon Schuster (‘26) and Max Kukafka (‘26) regularly.

As a final note, Bardunias encourages students to find their place in the school community this year by exploring new activities and attending more events. 

“East is one big family…and so [finding] your mini-family within [the] family is so important…I found that in SGA, and I hope that everyone’s able to find that,” said Bardunias.