The start of the 2024-25 school year has ushered in a new freshman class and four newly elected Student-Staff Council (SSC) representatives: Ella Maas, Gavin Solomon, Elliott Etter and Zach Prober. They beat out a field of nine candidates.
The four freshmen join an SSC that hopes to bolster school spirit while building connections between students and administrators, according to SSC president Senior Natalia Freedman’s speech last May.
(Solomon and Prober are on the Bit’s staff)
Freshman Ella Maas said her focus is on reducing academic stress, including banning tests after homework-free weekends and advocating for high school access to the lower/middle school cafeteria.
Currently, the cafeteria is open to lower/middle school students and all faculty and staff. Access for high school students is not available.
Freshman Gavin Solomon had another solution to the lunch situation. He proposed that food vendors come on campus more often so that students “have more options and spend less money when going out to eat.”
Food vendors’ sales at GDS dropped in the last school year. The vendors’ future presence at GDS is dependent on their profitability.
The four freshmen bring a new perspective to a council which is seeing three of the four senior representatives entering their fourth year on SSC.
Freshman Elliott Etter said he wants to “make a difference, and make all of our freshman lives better.” Etter plans to send out a monthly Google Form for grade-wide feedback and expand activities in school. He added that he ran for SSC because he enjoys leadership.
Like Etter, Solomon called for more grade-wide activities. “That is a great way to familiarize everyone in the grade, to help everyone to know each other better,” he said.
Solomon also campaigned on the need for academic support, stating that “students need more resources to study, rather than just being told to develop good habits.” He proposed providing all students with a Quizlet Plus subscription, which offers additional tools on the study platform.
“I want to figure out what other people want to change. It’s not really about what I want,” Prober said. This year, SSC is planning to revamp the way in which they receive student feedback, although few specifics are in place.