In late September, the Fieldston Student Government cabinet members for the 2020-2021 school year were chosen and rewarded to a select group of Juniors and Seniors. With a wide variety of positions, ranging from Secretary of Math to Security of Public Spaces, the student cabinet is excited for an innovative and productive year of work.
Due to COVID-19, some of the roles and responsibilities of cabinet members this year have changed. For example, there have been newly added Student COVID Task Force Representatives, occupied by Rosa Desario (VI) and Raz Mehta (VI).
Additionally, some of the duties of cabinet members have been changed. Maria Grabowsky (VI), the Secretary of Assembly Planning, has made it her goal to “make assemblies happen despite the conditions we are in.” She plans to hold virtual assemblies to “continue the tradition of gathering all together as a high school and discuss important topics.” According to Grabowsky, one advantage of virtual assemblies is that we can host guest speakers who might not have been able to make the trip to Fieldston, had assemblies been in person. The Secretary of Student Wellness, Lucy Troy (V), plans to “work with the COVID-19 student task force to encourage students to follow [COVID-19] protocols continually.” She will also “send out surveys to the student body regarding questions they have for the safety and security officers.”
As for future initiatives aside from COVID-19, these cabinet members have big plans. Caroline Lesser (VI), Secretary of the College Office, plans to hold fun activities during the winter to take people’s minds off college decisions. She also plans to have “recent Fieldston alumni hosting Google Meets where they talk about why they chose their college.”
Abigail Chriss (VI), Secretary of Science, wants to “diversify the science classes regarding race and learning disabilities.” To do this, she plans to collect data on the number of students of color in intensive science classes, to survey students and alumni on their possible experience with issues of racial bias, discrimination and exclusion within the science department, and hopes to work with the learning center to increase support for students with learning disabilities who want to be in intensive classes. She hopes that these initiatives will “set the foundation for improving the diversity of science classes.”
Tony Lumer (VI), Secretary of Athletics, plans to “work hard to find the mix between improving the athletics program while keeping the athletes safe.” He is the captain of the Boys Varsity Lacrosse team and plays on the Boys Varsity Soccer team, and he says that “sports will always be a large part of [his life].” Before the pandemic, Lumer intended on having pep rallies for both spring and winter sports because we “need to show love for all of our teams, in every season.” Although this is no longer possible, Lumer intends on finding new ways to show team spirit.
Tasha Finkelstein (VI), a new student in 9th grade herself, is this year’s Liaison to New Students. This is a crucial role, considering that the year’s start is quite different from what has been experienced in the past. One of Finkelstein’s initiatives is to connect older students with new students as a “social coordinator,” and create an online anonymous chat room where students can ask questions and get thoughtful responses from older students. Finkelstein also wants to help students with the academic transition. “Before coming to Fieldston, I went to a middle school where we never had tests or formal letter grades on assignments. So academically, Fieldston was quite different. I am confident in my abilities at connecting students with faculty [that] I found really helpful and supportive in the transition process,”said Finkelstein.
A gem of the Fieldston community is its commitment to the arts, such as music. Gregory Hirsch (VI), Secretary of Music, is excited to give back to a program that has done so much for his Fieldston experience. “As a music major, I spend an immense amount of my free time and class time in our studios and practice rooms, honing my craft with peers. I love collaborating with fellow Eagles, whether it be on a string quartet or freestyling at the lunch table.” Hirsh’s initiatives plan to strengthen the connection between the musical community at Fieldston and the observers. “I plan on creating a playlist of original songs by Fieldston musicians. This will strengthen the musicians’ community, advertise their talent and normalize the scary thought of putting one’s music into the world. I want to create an environment where first-year students see older students enjoying the limelight of an assembly stage and are thereby inspired to perform and release their songs.” Additionally, if COVID continues to restrict our ability to perform in-person, Hirsh is already planning ways to share our musical abilities through live streams or recorded performances.
Benjamin Schmelkin (VI), Secretary of Technology, is passionate about his new position and exploring how to ethically use technology in our community. “There are many gray areas with the web that society has never encountered before. We’re all kinda figuring out how to use this together,” Shmelkin said. He is also planning on helping with the transition to online school and high flex. “My first initiative is using the ECFS Student app to provide students with new and vital information as we move into the weirdest school year in history. Having a schedule detailing when you’re supposed to go in hyper-flex or cohorts or any other ways in between will be extremely helpful.” Another goal that Shmelkin will pursue as the Secretary of Technology will be to help teachers use Google Classroom/Google Meet in more productive ways for students.
These new FSG members have amazing ideas, and we are excited to see how they will better the Fieldston community.
By Erin Saunders and Ella Caplan
