Key ideas for this year’s Student Council aim for more acknowledgement and clarification of mental health policies and possibly introducing curriculum feedback for specific classes for the 2023-24 school year. 

Fermi Boonstra, all-school president, has been working since the end of last year to implement such changes.

“I went to the handbook committee and tried to get the mental health days rephrased, or at least separated, so that the policy was clear to students to have more leniency with mental health days,” she said. 

At the end of last year they also introduced the objective of curriculum feedback to faculty, who had the choice to opt out of automatically receiving feedback for their course.

Student Council members also hope to increase participation in spirit week and make it more interactive, such as implementing a reward system for students who take part. Akshay Badlani, Cultural Union president, is working to make school events and spirit days reflective of what the student body wants. 

This week students are able to input their preferences on Homecoming spirit day options and potential activities via an interactive poll for the Willy Wonka-themed dance on Sept. 24. 

“We wanted to do something that a lot of people would enjoy and a lot of people could choose what they wanted to do, so that’s why we created the form this year for spirit days. We think that the form will hopefully increase attendance,” Akshay said.

James McCullen, all-school secretary, is excited about Student Council’s vision and ability to make previous legislation more visible.

“What we really want to do is ensure deep connection and unity between Student Council and the student body,” James said. 

He emphasized utilizing public platforms like bulletin boards and online platforms like Schoology to release information such as Student Council’s weekly meeting notes to increase transparency.

Lucas Caldentey, all-school treasurer, is seeking to introduce the presence of financial awareness throughout the student body.

He said that he is looking to strengthen the relationship between his role and club leaders, which would allow clubs to maximize efficiency and general recognition around their budget.

Other ideas include hosting a financial literacy session for students and implementing a seed funding program that would support a specific problem posed by clubs or students.