All-School President

Eliza Doss, Class of 2021

What new ideas would you bring to the table? What is your main goal?

I would bring creative ways to bring our grades together, to get more student feedback, and to begin/continue conversations around issues in U-High. My main goal is to unite the student body through clubs/student groups, events and forums, so we feel more connected. Once we’re more connected, we can use our voice to advocate for the change we feel is necessary in U-High. I also want to make sure we feel connected during times like these, and we provide the necessary support to all students during and after this pandemic.

How will you act as a liaison between students and faculty?

If students ever have any issues or concerns I will provide the support they need and listen to their situations. I think it is important for students to speak up when there’s an issue, but sometimes that’s hard. I want to be a voice for students and provide more transparency between students and faculty. I will make time to set up meetings with faculty. I’ll listen to what our faculty have to say, but I will also advocate for the student body and their well-being. 

What kind of school culture do you hope to see? How will you work to create it?

I want to see a culture that is more accepting of everyone, and where hate speech isn’t tolerated. We need to learn that we shouldn’t say certain offensive words/sayings, but we also need to provide the education around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion both in and out of the classroom. We can’t expect students to come into high school understanding everything and changing right away. I will help work with teachers, administrations, and students to work on DEI education. We can’t rely on one group or person to change the school; everyone must be involved.

How will you work to make U-High a stress-free environment?

During this pandemic, our stress has increased due to workload, college, and the coronavirus itself. While in quarantine, I will work with grade officers to make sure they’re still hosting events and posting on Schoology. I will also work with faculty and administrators to find new ways to reach out to students and provide the support. When we get back to school, I will continue working with the adults and students in our community to make sure everyone is able to adjust back. People will have concerns and questions, and I will make sure the students are heard.

How do you plan to enhance the student body’s engagement in school activities?

Especially during remote learning, student engagement is hard. However, I think Student Council should still host online events, and we should still encourage clubs and student groups to meet. I also think collaboration between student groups and advertisements will encourage students to stay engaged. One thing I’ve realized this year is that if you take the initiative to speak out or organize something, then people will join you. Students are very focused on school, but many students enjoy extracurriculars and student activities. Student Council, and myself, just has to make them accessible and easy to join.

An Ngo, Class of 2022

What new ideas would you bring to the table? What is your main goal?

A couple of new ideas that I hope to implement if I’m elected is creating a students’ rights handbook written by and for students, making Student Council more accessible and transparent for the student body, creating an official space for non-elected students in Student Council and at meetings, creating a social content sharing platform exclusively for students and issuing standards for content warnings. All of these ideas are meant to help students take full advantage of the resources the school and Student Council can offer them. Another hope of mine is that these efforts will bolster student communication. 

How will you act as a liaison between students and faculty?

I see this position as a continuation of the work I’ve already been doing on the various councils/committees I’ve been serving on since freshman year. I’ve learned how to communicate student needs to both teachers and all sorts of administrators effectively in order for us to be listened to and our concerns to be addressed. As all-school president, one of the biggest privileges I hope to be able to obtain is gaining a deeper and more thorough understanding of the wants and needs of students as a body and on an individual level. In doing so, I can express to the faculty the needs of students whose voices might go unheard otherwise.

What kind of school culture do you hope to see? How will you work to create it?

I don’t think U-High will ever be a place with much school spirit, and that’s alright. Our shared experiences are what define us as a school, not our colors or sports teams. I don’t think Student Council can or will create school culture, because it already exists. Student-led initiatives like Artsfest create lasting fond memories for students to share and have become quintessential to the U-High experience. I think we are defined by our authenticity and don’t need to strive for something we aren’t. This is not to say we can’t grow on what we have, but let’s embrace it and be proud of it. I will work to support more student-led events organized by student groups instead of focusing solely on promoting sporting events. 

How will you work to make U-High a stress-free environment?

During my time on the All-School Wellness Council, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the mental health and well being of students. I’ve realized quickly that U-High will never be stress-free. We are an academic institution that prides itself on excellence, and with that naturally comes academic pressure. What we can do to improve student well being is to re-evaluate what we value as a community. Is it mental health? Is it test scores and college acceptances? The key is balance and I believe I can help create that. The administration putting us on a pass/fail system is evidence that we as a school are starting to prioritize mental health over academic rigor.

How do you plan to enhance the student body’s engagement in school activities?

Events like Labstock have proved to be popular in the past and I plan on continuing and growing them. I want to make events feel authentic and sincere to students, even if the events are new. The reasons events like Labstock and Art in the Dark are popular are because they feel like traditions and students also want to support other students. I will foster these feelings in more events Student Council organizes.

Omar Siddiqui, Class of 2021

What new ideas would you bring to the table? What is your main goal?

I have two main goals that I will do everything in my power to see through. Firstly, I want to increase the voice of students in events, bills, and school-wide initiatives in the earlier stages of the process. By getting student voice involved early and heavily, we can really make initiatives for students reflect the ideas of students. Secondly, but I want to make a positive impact on Lab Culture that spotlights what makes our community special. This means encouraging us to build up one another and learn from each other’s mistakes; essentially, I want to make respect and a supportive community foundational pieces of Lab culture.  

How will you act as a liaison between students and faculty?

Healthy communication between student and faculty is important in making Lab a better school for everyone, not just students. I think this is where my experiences will benefit the student body. I have engaged in many meetings with various coordinators, teachers and administrators; therefore, I have familiarity with the channels that will allow students to have the most effective communication with whoever they are interested in speaking with. Additionally, I would like to build off of an initiative I worked on last year, Course Review, to increase the amount of student feedback (which remains anonymous). 

What kind of school culture do you hope to see? How will you work to create it?

Lab already has a unique and amazing culture, and I would love to enhance it through working on making it more supportive. As a Student Council official for the past two years, I’ve heard many of the concerns of the student body regarding unhealthy competition and fear of being outcast based on one mistake. Therefore, making a culture that is supportive and allows room for mistakes and subsequent growth will be very beneficial to the school. I plan to do this through increasing mentorship between upperclassmen and underclassmen in addition to creating programs and forums (some of which are anonymous) that allow students to ask questions and learn how to navigate sensitive topics. 

How will you work to make U-High a stress-free environment?

Being in a school as rigorous as Lab makes it impossible to avoid stress altogether; however, giving students the tools to deal with stress in a healthy way and prioritizing mental health are the best ways to combat unhealthy stress. If elected, the mental health of the student body will be a priority of mine. Firstly, creating a more open dialogue between students and teachers on class workload will help make a more manageable homework schedule for students. Secondly, advertising and connecting students with many existing programs, such as those which take place in L&C, will allow students to learn a variety of time management techniques. 

How do you plan to enhance the student body’s engagement in school activities?

In all honesty, school spirit at Lab is something that definitely needs a lot of work, which is exactly why it will be an area of focus for me. I think the best way to increase student involvement in events and dances is to get them involved in the get go, not just during the feedback stage. Through creating student focus groups for school-wide events, Student Council can make events that reflect the interests of its attendees. By giving students a voice in the planning process and utilizing more engaging advertising techniques, we can increase attendance and interest in school activities, which in turn will boost school spirit.