Student Legislature has big plans for this upcoming year.
Their first task? Developing and passing a new electronics policy bill.
According to science teacher and school government liaison Mary Angione, Student Legislature was unable to accomplish as much as they would have liked to with their electronics policy bill last year.
“Dr. Ritchie didn’t want to make huge changes for someone who was coming in,” she said, speaking in reference to the new Headmaster Deborah Holman.
Angione said that this year, student legislators will work closely with Holman to craft a new electronics policy bill.
Junior Jonathan You, a member of Student Legislature, said the creation of the electronics policy bill will require due diligence.
“We are trying to find a balance between a free-for-all, no policy whatsoever, and what we had last year, which was pretty conservative,” You said. “We are going to have a discussion on that among Student Council, Student Legislature and faculty.”
Angione said that the issue of electronics use in the high school is a tricky one.
“It’s a balance between recognizing the role technology plays in our lives, our needs to communicate with people outside of the building, our educational value of electronic tools, and a respect of human interaction face-to-face and maintaining the culture we have here,” Angione said.
After the completion of the new electronics policy bill, sophomore Katherine Brumberg, another member of Student Legislature, hopes to lead the movement to make some adjustments to the high school’s grade point average system. Brumberg said the system needs some work, and she wants to have grade point average weighted.
“Most schools do that, so it’s kind of balanced,” she said.
Also on Student Legislature’s agenda for this year is the issue of students smoking in front of the high school.
“It’s not really a good school image to have people smoking in front of the school,” You said. “Also, there are little children passing by and we don’t want them to inhale the smoke.”
You realizes that banning smoking entirely might have its consequences.
“There would probably be cigarettes in the bathrooms and that would be gross,” he said.
Additionally, junior Will Notelovitz, a member of Student Legislature, is striving to create a new school logo this year.
“He’s been doing it mostly through Student Council,” Angione said. “The mascot isn’t a handbook issue or a policy issue, but it’s something that’s been important to students.”
You said that last year, a couple of students submitted designs for logos but nothing came of it. According to You, the creation of a new logo hinges on the high school’s motivation to foster it.
“It depends on whether we get a good enough design,” You said. “And whether there is enough support behind the new design.”
