“As we start this academic year, I am committed to making it a memorable experience for our grade. The student council and I have been planning a variety of events that we believe will improve our school community and foster engagement among our peers,” Vice President Sabrima Bhattarai stated.
The class of 2028 aspires to make this year a success by raising money through “fun and engaging events,” President Julius Scott said.
Reflecting on last year, Bhattarai explained how they organized two major events which were their Harlem Wizards Basketball game and the Spring Barbecue.
“We recognized that there may have been some challenges with students accessing information, so we plan to address this by promoting our meetings through social media and on our Google Classroom,” Bhattarai added. In addition, she hopes that this year they are able to improve their communication.
Other than the lack of engagement, Bhattarai described the atmosphere as “electric,” and explained how “the entire experience was not only exciting but also a good way to prepare” for her future responsibilities as Vice President.
Class Advisor Shannon Votaw agreed that they want to get more students “involved, engaged, and helping out their class. It was a little slow trying to get people to join the classroom [last year], and it was especially hard to do so without officers. But for the most part, last year went pretty well, for a freshman class.”
In order to get more of the student body involved, the Class of 2028 decided to break from the usual structure of class meetings and try a new approach. “To try and bring as many people as possible in, we’re having class meetings and inviting people other than officers in,” with the goal of including “more of the sophomore class in the planning and implementation of our events,” class advisor Kristen Kirby explained.
The class of 2028 has already had a successful concession stand, as well as a bake sale this year. Soon they will have their main event; the winter dance, which they’re still planning.
“We haven’t selected a date for it yet, because Valentines day is the Saturday after we leave for break so we have to figure out if they want it to be valentines day themed or more winter themed in January,” Votaw stated.
For their future events, Treasurer Sophia Zhang plans to “accurately keep track of all finances and ensure we maximize profit from all of our events.” She, along with the rest of the council, intend to take any opportunity they get to raise money for their class. They also hope to collaborate with the student councils from other grades while supporting them as well.
The council greatly appreciates advisors’ Kirby and Votaw for their successes, saying that they are both “very supportive, knowledgeable, and creative. Having served as class advisors before, they have helped all council members learn, grow, and actively participate,” Scott expressed.
“Whenever our class presents new ideas, they wholeheartedly invest their time and energy to facilitate and organize the event. Mrs. Votaw and Mrs. Kirby consistently fosters an encouraging environment that guides us in making informed decisions for the benefit of the class,” Bhattarai added.
Event coordinator Vanessa Pham mentioned that “without their help, we wouldn’t have had such successful events.”
Both Votaw and Kirby are confident that they have a strong council and are content with everything they have accomplished so far.
Kirby expressed that “everyone has their own specific roles, but even outside of that, everyone pitches in when things need to happen and they’re very willing and eager to help. They always come with a lot of ideas, are always excited, and want good things for the class.”
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