By Sabrina Finn ’14, Contributor
The CCDS Upper School student government is up and running for the new school year. However, new students and freshmen, who did not have the chance to vote for student council, may be unsure of who leads them. Also, even students familiar with the Upper School sometimes don’t always have a clear idea of what the government does. So who are the members, and what do they do?
As this year’s President of the student body, senior Baldur Tangvald’s main responsibilities include deciding what to discuss at meetings and negotiating between faculty and students over issues such as dress code or senior privileges. Tangvald describes his job very simply: “Basically, I listen to students and try to get things done for them.” Having organized events such as the End of Exams Slip-n-Slide and reviving the Senior-Freshman Picnic, he said he feels the year has been productive so far, and he said he “sees lots of potential for the coming year.”
Tangvald’s running mate and Vice President is Jack Wildman ’11. His job is very similar to the president’s; he negotiates with the administration, brainstorms ideas for upcoming events, and takes charge during some of the meetings. “The nice thing about being vice president is that my responsibilities are mostly defined by what needs to get done,” Wildman said. “I enjoy knowing that my role in student council is what I choose it to be, and that I can focus on making a difference.”
On the more organizational side of student council, Treasurer Grant Hesser ’11 is responsible for handling the money and making sure that the class doesn’t overspend. He is also in charge of budgeting money for events such as prom or homecoming. Greg Dick ’11 is secretary, and is therefore in charge of making sure the council knows when to meet and taking notes during their discussions. Dick says that everyone works well together “so there isn’t any arguing at the meetings.” Agreeing with Tangvald, he thinks that everyone on student council is off to a good start, but especially the social chairs, as “They have been doing a lot of the work with planning homecoming and spirit week.”
These girls are Claire Heinichen ’11 and Elizabeth Blackburn ’11. As social chairs, their main roles involve planning dances and organizing other student life events such as the student section of the football games and spirit week. “My biggest responsibilities as social chair are definitely the dances. They take the most time and money and planning,” Blackburn said. “Plus, everybody in high school counts on them for a good time! So I definitely feel obligated to do a good job with those,” Blackburn continued. She also added that the student government has been very proactive so far, and that with such dedicated representatives, they will accomplish even more.
The responses to the Student Council’s work have been extremely positive. Tangvald’s speech at the beginning of the school year comparing lunch menu items to high school classes received a standing ovation, and spirit week was a great success. When asked about some of his ideas for the year, Tangvald replied, “Part of the fun of student council is being secretive and surprising the student body with fun things, so I’d rather not give anything away now.”
Photo by Ilana Habib ’11
