By: Alex Badger
Westborough High School’s student council has embedded itself deep within the culture of both the town and our high school. The council constantly serves our community through their own events, like homecoming, and by supporting organizations like Boston Children’s and Special Olympics. But with each coming year, more questions are raised as to the future of the group.
With an almost entirely new executive board, and the departure of former president Derek Pittorino, the keys to the club have been handed to junior, Harrison Israel. With three years of Stuco under his belt, two of which on the executive board, he ran uncontested and with the utmost support from all the members.
When asked about Harrison as president, Class of 2019 representative, Ryan Nichols, said, “He is going to be a great step-in for Derek, and I’m excited to see what new things he has to offer to the E-Board.”
This opinion seems to be the consensus as fellow E-Board member, Miara Sasdi also spoke in support of Harrison’s presidency. “He’s going to be an amazing president,” she said, “We’ve seen his dedication as Events Overseer last year, and he has such a love for Stuco I’m sure he’ll be great for our council.”
This past year has been very successful, with many traditions being followed up, as well as some brand new ideas and revivals of events. There was consistent energy, a staple of Student Council, from the E-Board which seemed to spread throughout the entire group. The people that embraced this most were the freshman, who immediately made their presence felt. They led many events throughout the year, and all made sure to be productive; Half of the freshmen represented our school at a statewide Student Council conference in Hyannis earlier this year.
Another area where the group saw a major improvement was within some of the events that we led. The homecoming dance, which was run by the aforementioned Miara Sasdi, went from having six attendees last year to over 250 this year. Some keys to this massive increase in attendance is better themes, more promotions, and most importantly, appealing to the freshman class. A majority of people who went to the dance were friends, and the entire council is hoping that this increase continues next year.
Similarly, the Student Council ran a recently revived dance marathon the past two years to support Boston Children’s hospital. This year the attendance was huge for the 6 hour event, with over 200 kids raising over $6,000 to support the kids. With music by student council member, DJ Gogimal, and a sponsorship by the Polar Ice brand, the marathon was a huge hit.
Attendee Jack McGinn said, “I had a great time and enjoyed the dance battle especially.”
But, as great as it was, this year is over now, and everyone is looking forward to the future. Harrison, Miara, and Ryan all had very different opinions on the future of the group. But, they all said one thing. “Do more.”
Whether it be for the community, the school, or for those in need, they’re all in agreement that we could make a major difference by putting in more time. Nichols feels, “We have the potential to do amazing things, but it starts with us commiting to do everything we can to improve our school and council.” A great vision that will hopefully be fulfilled within the next year.
