The 2021-2022 school year has arrived and Form VI FSG Co-Presidents Lena Habtu and Eli Satlof have been working diligently throughout the summer to provide a swift transition back to school.
Preparing to lead and listen to the student body is no small job. The summer has been a time for Habtu and Satlof to not only prepare themselves for the year ahead, but also to prepare FSG as a whole. “This summer we’ve been working on setting up the cabinet applications and position descriptions, as well as revamping the selection process to ensure that it’s both manageable and fair,” they wrote. On August 24th, cabinet applications opened with 25 positions available for students in forms IV, V and VI. Students are invited to apply for up to three positions but can only hold one.
Habtu and Satlof are interested in collecting direct feedback from the community in order to improve students’ Fieldston experiences. An accessible, widespread way to make this happen is via google form. In their campaign, Habtu and Satlof noted that they wanted to destigmatize and focus on student mental health. They plan on “keeping a google form open where students can submit feedback on the transition, or just their year so far! We’d check the responses frequently, to ensure that we’re addressing concerns as quickly and effectively as possible.” In addition, they plan to work with AVI [foodsystems] to incorporate student feedback into school lunch. “Just before the end of the year, we met with AVI to discuss student feedback on the menu, which ideally was taken into consideration when designing the menu for the Fall season, and so on,” they wrote.
Habtu and Satlof plan to hit the ground running this year by working to achieve their campaign promises. For example, they emphasized their commitment to opening the community garden, which will be located on campus and can be used as a space for students to connect with nature. Additionally, they plan to prioritize “working with the learning center, and speaking to the administration about the feasibility of school-wide fundraising.” In their campaign, they wrote about potentially opening up the learning center for drop-ins and holding FSG fundraisers for “student clubs and groups across campus, as well as mutual aid funds.” They understand that though their job as FSG Co-Presidents always requires flexibility, their plans this year may be subject to change more frequently due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For example, with regards to their fundraising plans, they wrote, “we’d initially proposed bake sales, but we’re aware that this will likely be revised given the COVID restrictions.”
After a year of hyflex learning, Habtu and Satlof understand that the return to full classrooms will be both challenging and exciting. “We hope to support all students, especially new students, with the transition back, and emphasize available support systems, such as the Learning Center, various affinity spaces, and school psychologists.” They also believe it is important that the community return to some of the activities we lost last year. “In particular, we can’t wait to work alongside administrators to design school-spirit events that are both safe and still retain some semblance of normalcy.”
The 2021-2022 Co-Presidents are clearly ready for a year of flexibility, open-minded leadership and most importantly, fun! We look forward to seeing their hard work and preparation in action come September 13th.
