The president of a student council rises from among his peers to lead them and guide their school toward continued greatness. If you think you have what it takes to stand at the helm of your school, read this guide to see what it would be like to be president:

• It’s your first day back at school after being elected president. The week of victory celebrations and speeches at local landmarks has been a whirlwind. When you finally step into Gerald High for the first time as its president, the halls look somehow narrower, your classmates' faces more nondescript.
  

• You take a seat at your desk in Mrs. Witack’s pre-calc class. Are they making these chairs smaller? You don’t even have a chance to open up the Gerald High School Herald to peruse the day’s top stories before Maria Elena, your newly elected secretary, rushes in to let you know there’s an urgent call from Forest Flowers Middle School. You need to go to the office to take it right away.
  

• You rush through the hallways wondering what the crisis could be. Is Forest Flowers experiencing a textbook shortage? A janitor uprising?
  

• As you answer the phone, your heart is racing, but for some reason the only thing you can think to wonder is how the straps of your backpack got so heavy. You answer and your voice just sounds like a gasping breath. “Hello?” says the person on the other end. “It’s Bobby Greenblatt, Forest Flowers Middle School’s newly elected president.”
  

• What could he want? To challenge your presidency? To proclaim his allegiance to Ronalda Reyes, your runner-up? Maybe she did deserve it more than you. “Hello? Mr. High-School President? Are you there? It’s Bobby. I’m just calling to say: I really look up to you.”