Given the newly elected board of the Clinton student council, some changes are due to occur. An excited atmosphere, more attention to students’ academic stress, and additional field trips are just a few goals the electees want to implement.
The Clinton student council advocates for our student body from 9th to 12th grade and ensures our voices are heard. I was able to speak with Alexis Kagan, the newly elected president, Skylar Hay, Clinton’s secretary, and Olga and Ella, the Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs)s to understand what their roles are and what goals they have
For students who may not know, the president’s role in the student government is to be the “primary representative of the student body” according to Alexis. The role of the secretary is to assist the president and vice president, take attendance, and write emails. The CMOs make sure different school events, like spirit weeks and fairs, are marketed to the school so students will know about the event’s details, including where and when it is happening. All of these roles play a big part in the functioning of our student body, making sure everyone feels heard and up to date with all Clinton activities.
Alexis Kagan, the newly appointed student council president, tells me that she is committed to voicing “the opinions and concerns of the student body to the school administration.” She wants to use her power as the President to uplift students and make sure everyone gets a chance to say how they feel, whether it is positive or negative. Additionally, if another Student Government member is unsure of something or wants a second opinion, she is the one to reach out to.
As far as changes, she wants our school to feel more welcoming, by “dissolving the barrier between freshman coming from different middle schools and freshman coming from Clinton.” She knows that it can feel very difficult to meet new people and make friends in a school where there are so many preexisting relationships and she wants to build a closer sense of community within Clinton. Alexis would also like to implement more out-of-school activities, like field day and school trips.
Skylar Hay, the new secretary, will use her new responsibilities and powers to lay the groundwork for an excited, more lively school. She says that “Clinton needs to change,” to change to an atmosphere where students are excited and engaged in their classes and extracurricular activities.
Hay wants to make a replacement trip for the 10th grade since their trip to D.C. was canceled this year. Additionally, she plans on using funds that were never used to create a space where students can go and relax when they feel overwhelmed with schoolwork.
She hopes to create an environment where students feel they are getting the resources they need and deserve. She also understands how overcomplicated tracking service hours is, so she wants to set up a system where students can easily view how many hours they have without spending hours trying to figure it out themselves.
The new CMOs, Olga Egelund and Ella Rinaldi have many new plans on ways to get students more engaged in schoolwide activities and truly feel the Clinton spirit. They make sure everyone is up to date with current events and plans within the school. From the student council’s Instagram account to colorful posters in the hallway, they want everyone to be included.
Olga tells me that she and Ella aim to “increase attendance to fun events and embrace a larger sense of school spirit” by spreading the word about school events and planning events like Spirit Week. They understand how hard it is to feel constantly up-to-date with the happenings in school. Ella tells me they want to “increase transparency between the school and the students, minimizing stress in exchange for accessible resources.” Communication is key in building a strong community and a livelier atmosphere, so they want to make sure everyone feels informed about what is going on at The Clinton School.
Our new student council leadership wants to create a better sense of community within Clinton, and uplift students’ sense of school spirit. They don’t just want school to be a place where students have to go, but rather somewhere students want to go. They want students to feel comfortable stepping out of their comfort zones, either by talking to new people or voicing their opinions. There are many amenities Clinton has to offer, but students often don’t know about them or how to use them, which is something the members want to work on as well. Looking forward, they want our school to be a place where each student feels like a priority and can access the tools they need to succeed.
