by Ben Azok & Rohan Power

Hawken’s Student Senate is one of the defining features of our school. A student-led organization that brings about student centered changes perfectly embodies the purpose of our school. This year, the senate is off to a great start with many ideas in the works. 

We were able to get interviews with two of this year’s senators. Declan Bigelow, who represents the class of 28, is currently serving his second term as a senator. His favorite part of being a senator is “being able to make a visible difference in our school community and communicating with other members of the community to hear their ideas.” We also talked with Will Margolis, who represents the class of 27. He is serving his third term as a senator, and his favorite part of being a senator is “getting to be a part of the process.” He likes working with administrators, and especially likes the role of liaison for his class. Two other senate impacts include the quiet study room and the diversity council. Many things that make Hawken were all decided by the senate. 

The senate has made many important changes throughout the years. One notable policy is the founding of the sustainability council. After students asked for a more green school, the senate founded the council as a way of promoting sustainability-first policies and thinking. Another great change was the advent of mental health days. Declan told us that “I think one of the best things we’ve done was mental health days. A lot of students were asking for a way to help with the building pressure of school and we as a senate were very proud of our solution.” 

In the past, the senate has definitely made some large positive impacts on the school, but they spent a lot of time looking for problems rather than finding solutions. To try and fix this, the main focus for the senate this year has been on student feedback and transparency. When interviewing Declan, he emphasized the importance of connecting with the students. Declan said his main focus for the year is “trying to understand what the students want, and how to connect with them more effectively.” Will also agreed with Declan, saying, “I want to focus on what the students want me to focus on.” The senate has introduced a suggestion box outside Ms. Anderson’s office as a direct line of communication. While they have received a few responses, they hope for more in the future to better guide their decision and policy making. 

Will outlined a few solutions the senate is working on right now. First, he touched on how the salt used to melt the ice in the winter is harmful to the floor of the gray gym. Will wanted to add “a solution that can allow our students to use the gray gym in the winter while still keeping our equipment healthy.” Also in the gym, there has been an issue with students using varsity equipment. While the athletic department wants the students to have the space during school, they also want to keep the equipment in a condition usable for matches. Will plans on “getting more recreational equipment so our sport facilities are more accessible to our students during the winter.” 

The senate is also working on transparency with the students. They currently are working to create an online student life website where students can leave suggestions for future policies and check in on the senate’s current discussions. About the website, Will said “we want to be more transparent. To some, the senate seems like something that happens behind the scenes, but we want people to think of the senate as a place that makes the changes they want to see.” The senate also encourages students with suggestions to attend their meetings on Tuesdays during club time, as they are open to all.

If you have any senate suggestions, feel free to leave a note in the box by Ms. Anderson’s Desk! You can also contact 26gembro@hawken.edu, our Hawken Senate Chair or faith.bordonaro@hawken.edu, our Faculty Chair.