Student Council Passes the Torch

With the Winter Term coming to a close, a new class of student leaders will soon rise to fill in the next Student Council. From managing Saturday night events and hyping up our sports teams to ensuring students uphold integrity and academic diligence, the Student Council has fostered an environment for Lawrentians to call home. With their time on Student Council ending, some members have reflected on their experiences and how they envision incoming students directing the future of Lawrenceville.

As the Student Body President, Eli Lacey ’25 shared several thoughts on his journey with the Student Council. To begin, Lacey reflected on how Student Council’s success has heavily relied on communication, which he deemed the “most effective strategy for building consensus with the Student Council and student body.”  Through effective communication, Lacey achieved his proudest Student Council accomplishment—the Homecoming (HoCo) weekend after Lawrenceville grilled the Hill School, where he experienced an “entertaining under the lights football game and had the best Hoco dance of [his] time at Lawrenceville.” He believes being the Student Body President means “being something that anyone can aspire to become,” and that despite what some may believe, “your GPA, social status, or any mistakes you’ve made in the past does not disqualify you from being an exceptional president.” Hence, Lacey encourages students to “not let fear hold you back” from running for a Student Council position and is excited to see what next year’s Student Council brings to the future of Lawrenceville. 

Similar to Lacey, Tenjiwe Sithole ’25—the Vice President  of Social Life—also believed HoCo was the best event to bring people together because everyone was “super hyped up from the Hill Day win” and eager to celebrate with the dance. Although it is difficult to have events that cater to everyone, she alongside the Student Council “try to vary the events from week to week, from skating and dodgeball on one weekend to arts, performances, and the occasional dance.” One of Sithole’s Saturday night event ideas that couldn’t be implemented was an “inter-house capture the flag game,” due to weather difficulties, however  she plans on holding it in the spring. While she also wishes off-campus trips could have become a Saturday-night event, she “didn’t realize how expensive just getting buses off campus was,” let alone tickets for movies or plays. As a piece of advice, Sithole hopes the next VP of Social Life won’t take all of the student body’s criticisms personally, because “there is so much stuff out of [our] control that will inevitably be taken out on this position,” but it is important to not let that affect you and “continue doing your best.”
 

Sophia Liu ’25—the Vice President of Academics—commented on her time on the Student Council. One of Liu’s favorite academic initiatives was establishing a communal Quizlet class, because “knowing students are willing to support each other and share study materials” helps “break down the hyper-competitive academic atmosphere” at Lawrenceville. Liu also enjoyed coordinating the extended Consultation period in the winter term after “getting a lot of feedback from students and teachers” that they found Consultation ineffective because it was too short. She believes this is especially important because it showcases how when the “student body comes together, they can more accurately represent student feedback” regarding academic policies. Looking forward, Liu hopes academic policies don’t just “change for the sake of changing” and the council consistently “consider[s] how each policy affects different groups at Lawrenceville.” Liu hopes the next VP of Academics will “stay true to [themselves] and know the reason they want to run for Student Council,” because solely having the position “does not guarantee college admission.” To Liu, success as a Student Council member is about “loving and advocating for the students,” a trait she’s excited to see embodied in the coming school year!