The sun is just beginning to rise as six members of the Executive Board of student council and I gather around the familiar edges of the long white table in room S123.  Hardly awake with tired eyes, Brittany Paris, president of the junior class, and Louis Browne, student president of the Upper School, arrive first, and Browne begins to make snarky comments about his messy hair this early morning.  Slowly but surely, the remaining members stroll into the room. Now complete, Ben Frantz, Rachel Oren, Matt Urban, and Tyler Shevin join us at the table.

The ambiance is light throughout the duration of the interview.  These people work together, so conversation remains professional yet fun.  To understand how student council works, Browne describes the school government very similarly to the United States government.  “We have a constitution that everyone in the council must abide by.” He takes his job with student council very seriously, and his passion is seen in the weight of every word he speaks about our student government system.  Although the constitution was written a long time ago and much of it seems obsolete, its high stature keeps this document relevant.  “I mean it was literally written by Mae Mcmillan, not even kidding,” says Paris, whose casually comical attitude adds humor to the conversation every once in a while.

This year, with Louis Browne and Ms. Alexanderson, student council faculty advisor who is spoken about with such reverence by all of the members at the table, a solid template for the Executive Board has been formed.  Frantz, vice president of the school, sits quietly and talks in a thoughtful manner saying, “It’s less important to fit people to a specific position.  You need to get good people and make positions after them.”  This strategy was used to establish the student council board this year.  Browne picked every member on the board because of their special skills.  For example, Sabrina Udwin, who was not at the table, is the director of student civic involvement.  “She had done a lot of charity work outside of school working closely with several organizations.  Due to her experience, we have more money than ever before,” says Browne.

While trying to figure out the dynamic among the board members, I asked more personal questions in order to understand each member’s individual role in the council.  Right around here, Paris received a phone call, and began speaking loudly.   Browne kept talking seemingly unfazed by Paris’s brief interruption. “What?! Omg No Way!” Paris is obviously the light and spirit obsessed one of the group.  Her attitude is infectious, and when she laughs, everyone smiles.  Browne  seems passionate, and demanding in the best way possible.  He always has the right answer, and the group seems dependent upon his ability to make things happen.  Oren, who was not on the council last year, seems instrumental to all school events.  She was the junior head of prom last year, and after an amazing outcome, she was voted onto the Executive Board.  Shevin sits quietly, laughing at the group’s jokes as they are passed across the table.  The other members describe him as ambitious, although his soft-spoken personality hides this determination rather well.   Urban adds a comment here and there, but seems perfectly content listening to what the other members have to say.  He describes Frantz as “pretty” earning a laugh from the other members.  And besides being pretty, Frantz seems really excited for next year saying, “We’ve set up such a great foundation this year for the board.  We have a great structure, and I can’t wait to build on it.”

The members who were not at the interview seem equally as pivotal to Student Council.  Kimmy Ginsburg, Senior class president, is described as the loudest and funniest member of the group, while Sabrina Udwin is the most soft-spoken. In addition, Gigi Falk, creative assistant, Allison Belette, secretary, Rebecca Schecter, freshman class president, and Lance Oppenheim, video manager, all have important tasks to complete in order to make the Executive Board as productive as it can be.

With elections going on right now, the future for these passionate executives is unknown.  “We’ve worked really hard to gain administrations’ respect this year and try and make school spirit more prominent.  I hope the future board will continue to do the same,” Browne says in a nostalgic voice.  He continues to say, “I’m really excited for next year!”  Everyone looks around, confused.  “You won’t even go here next year!” everyone exclaims, and laughter fills the air. Curiosity holds me to the question, “What are you going to miss the most about this board?”  Without thinking for a second, Browne states, “I’m going to miss the moments where after a proposal gets rejected or someone shuts down an idea, that feeling of walking back into a room with five or six members of the board who tell you that its okay and you can do it.”  On this note everyone is looking around savoring these last few months they have together as an unstoppable, brilliant, and close-knit board.