On April 14th, 2014, Chris Walker and Sammy Koppelman (VI) passed the torch to newly instated co-Presidents Jake May and Adam Chan (V). They say the best leaders are full-time learners, and with college just a few months away, Sammy and Chris leave Fieldston having learned many important lessons as student body Presidents.
“Fieldston is a place that’s ready and eager for change, but it doesn’t always come instantly,” said Sammy. “Everything takes a little more time than you might expect to get done. And for any particularly…eager Fieldston students, that’s probably become abundantly clear in light of the slower-than-expected rollout of condoms.”
Chris’ experience with the FSG presidency taught him some different lessons that are just as valuable. “The three major lessons I learned from the presidency are that you have to take initiative when you want something accomplished quickly, you can’t plan for everything, and finally, that people will be angry regardless of what [progress] is made. You have to take initial suggestions with a grain of salt and evaluate the success of what you do based on its reception in the long term.”
As the pair looked back on their experiences over the past year, Chris and Sammy recalled their proudest achievements. Sammy was most proud of the dynamic duo’s ability to come to mutual consensus with the administration on several topics, each of which improved Fieldston life. Chris noted that he was thrilled to see the increased participation of grade representatives in student council. “When I was grade rep, most people thought that only the Presidents could get things accomplished. Now I think people know that everyone, regardless of their position, can contribute to the school in a meaningful way.” Chris was also proud of the collective effort of the student council to acquire the school’s latest addition: a ping-pong table. Along with their varying answers, both agreed that the elimination of “Meatless Monday” was a major triumph of their presidency.
While being co-Presidents can be fulfilling, it can also be testing. Both Sammy and Chris experienced their fair share of highs and lows during their presidency. “The biggest con,” Sammy explained, “is knowing that we don’t have the time to get done everything we’re trying to achieve. A lot of things we have fought for are ones that will not happen this year.” Chris singled out the pressure of being in a leadership position as the hardest part of the job. “The biggest con is that it’s a lot of stress, especially when you have a bunch of stuff happening and you’re not sure if it’s going to work. That’s a con with any leadership role, but in a student government, where everyone knows when you fail, the stress and threat of criticism is ultimately a good thing. It keeps you humble and makes you really think about the effects of the programs you want to enact.”
According to Sammy, FSG co-Presidents are important to Fieldston because “they serve both as student advocates and mediators. So, when debates like whether or not projectiles should be allowed on the senior grass arise, we are the people whose job it is to compromise with Laura.” Chris expanded by saying that “in addition to the direct things like campus improvements and student grants, we’re also usually the first members of the administration to talk to when [students] want to make a change. For better or worse, we really do become the ‘student voice’ on a lot of issues…. we’ve taken the next step and placed a student on every academic department and strategic planning committee, so almost every facet of the school is affected.”
A lot changed over the academic year of 2013-2014. From the eradication of Meatless Mondays to more student representation in the administration, Fieldston life has been significantly improved through the various programs enacted by Sammy and Chris. Nevertheless, in an active and opinionated community like Fieldston, there is always more to improve on and new ideas to be thought of. With that in mind, we bid farewell to Sammy and Chris and look forward to what Jake and Adam have in store for the Fieldston community in the coming year.
