This school year, the student council at EF Academy has had a huge restructuring, greatly expanding on the number of positions available for students. Instead of a small, more general team, there are roles that cover seemingly every aspect of life on campus, from arts to athletics; however, the new system has introduced some challenges in the process.
The expansion of the student council was aimed to diversify the students in the program. In many ways, this goal was accomplished. Nikko Pollack, one of the Executive Directors of the program, has many opinions on the new format.
“There are a lot more perspectives, considering there are multiple grade representatives,” Pollack said in an interview.
This restructuring has brought a much better representation of the student body; on the other hand, the team has faced many challenges along the way. Scheduling conflicts are the first main issue. With so many students having their own commitments, finding a time where everyone can attend a meeting is tricky.
Even when a majority of the students are in attendance, coming to a consensus can be difficult with so many people in one room. “The meetings can become very hectic because of how many students are a part of the program,” Pollack admitted.
Luckily, Pollack and his co-director, Irene Kim, work together to keep discussions focused. When asked about their synergy, Pollack claimed, ” I would say we work well together, and we split our work fairly.”
Many students around campus might be wondering, what exactly does the student council do? This is a valid question, as most of their work goes on behind the scenes. The most recent event planned by the student council was the Christmas tree decorating competition during a community meeting.
Each grade had to work together to decorate a Christmas tree with limited time. Many of the trees ended up looking great, but Pollack said, “The seniors had the best one. They made their own ornaments!” The student council judges agreed, and the seniors were announced the winners.
It’s not just this community meeting that the student council contributes to. Since the program got started, there have been representatives getting up in front of the whole school to make announcements and host activities. Each community meeting is planned and prepared by the student council, and each member must be confident enough to speak in front of the crowd.
What about next year’s program, will the student council stick to this new format? From Pollack’s perspective, he hopes “they change it a little bit, like having less people. The meetings do get very hectic,”
For those interested in running for a position next year, Pollack decided to share his strategy. For his campaign, he says there is no trick to it. “Honestly, I just went up to as many people as possible and asked them to vote for me,” he said.
This year has brought a lot of change to EF’s student council, some good and some bad. Luckily, it’s never too late to make new changes. Next year, when a new student council is elected, the program will return stronger and even better than it is this year.
