ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — Central Baldwin Middle School eighth grader Nick Robinson said posters, flyers and the help of his family, friends and teachers got him elected as the new Student Government Association president for the 2010 school year.

“We had to give a one to two minute speech on Monday in front of the whole school explaining why we wanted to be elected and then the students voted. I had one other person running against me. I just want to thank all the students for voting for me,” Robinson said.

The son of Robert Robinson and Cheryl Schoolcraft of Silverhill, Robinson said he is not afraid to speak his mind and has some pretty specific goals for the year including being able to go outside after lunch, change the assigned seats at lunch and being able to wear jeans every other Friday.

“We could get the students to pay a dollar to wear jeans and the money could go toward clubs or organizations and the different projects they have during the year,” Robinson said.

With history being his favorite subject because he likes learning about the past, Robinson said he wanted to be SGA president so he could make a difference for his fellow classmates and be a good leader.

In addition to his SGA duties, Robinson is a starting defensive end and special teams player for the Bears football team. To show team spirit, Robinson and some others got mohawks a few weeks ago.

“I bet I’m the only SGA president with a mohawk but we did it for the team and my parents were okay with it. In fact, my stepdad did it for me,” Robinson said, laughing. “I get it to spike up for gamedays. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for the team.”

Being a member of the Guitar Club and Church of His Presence youth group as well as being the oldest of five kids keeps Robinson busy too.

For SGA Vice President Taylor Alley of Rosinton, wanting seventh graders to have a voice and be more involved in school activities is what got her elected. And the posters, Mardi Gras necklaces and candy gave her a boost as well.

“I made 500 necklaces and gave them all out. I recruited my sister and brother to help me. It was a family affair.” Alley said.

Having more school spirit at the pep rallies with the students getting involved in group cheers and trying to have out of uniform days to raise money for charities is what Alley wants to accomplish this year.

A cheerleader for the past five years, Alley, daughter of Anne and Lee Alley, has been involved in gymnastics at Dare to Dance in Robertsdale for two years and has traveled to New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

She also does motocross competitions, skim board, skateboard and is involved in Christian Life Church in Gulf Shores. Civics with Gina DiOrio is her favorite subject because she likes learning about the past and the fun activities they do.

Secretary Sarah Gibson, also a seventh grader from Elsanor and daughter of Tommy Gibson and Kelly Lyon, said she wanted to be more involved in school activities and have a voice and gave out candy and rubber bouncy balls to the students.

Being a trumpet player in the band and playing soccer for the past five years keeps Gibson busy as well as wanting to learn how to play the piano and guitar.

“I really like band and Mrs. Brannon and can play a few songs on the piano. My favorite subject is Literature and Mrs. Gilchrist. I love to read,” Gibson said.

Seventh grade social studies teacher Gina DiOrio is the SGA sponsor and said they have lots of fun activities planned for this year starting with Homecoming week on Oct. 11.

“We have a ‘Kiss the Pig’ contest where students put money in a container with the name of the teacher they want to see kiss a real pig. The teacher that makes the most money will kiss the pig at the pep rally,” DiOrio said.

At Halloween, Christmas and Valentines Day, they will be selling treats (popcorn, candy canes and chocolate) for $1 that will be delivered to their friends during seventh period on the Friday before Halloween.

There will also be a Halloween Dance on Oct. 29 in the gym from 6 to 8:30 p.m. where students can dress in costumes and prizes will be given away.

DiOrio, in her third year as SGA sponsor and sixth year at CBMS, said all these fundraisers lead up to an eighth grade banquet held at the end of the year in the gym.

“We provide dinner and dessert at no cost to the students and two guests of their choice. After dinner, we have a nice program recognizing club leaders at CBMS as well as students. Last year, we had over 300 attend,” DiOrio said.

A portion of the funds raised go toward Cystic Fibrosis, Di Orio said, and in the past two years, $575 has been donated.

There are other projects DiOrio would like to organize as well like a canned food drive and a school-wide field day but they haven’t been discussed in detail yet.

This past Tuesday night, CBMS held their Open House and Principal Chuck Anderson said they had a great turnout with both sides of the bleachers filled.

“We have great parent support here and it really shows their interest in their child’s education and wanting to meet their teachers this year,” Anderson said.