Since the beginning of the year, there have been only three student reps serving on student government. This past week, however, there has been a new addition to the group: freshman rep Jonah Schenk. Jonah, Andrew Nemeroff, Stuart Baker, Henry Markarian, and Zander Patent convened in the library’s bottom floor and listed off the reasons why the 112 fellow freshmen should choose them to represent their grade. After the ballots were counted, it was announced that Jonah had won and Andrew Nemeroff had come in second place, although they both shared similar priorities. Jonah’s goal for this year is “to help us, as a grade, harness our collective power and to articulate our collective voices as we develop a shared vision of the stamp we want to leave on Latin.” He plans on becoming “a spokesperson for the freshman class” and is excited to begin his work in this new position. Similarly, Andrew believes that “it is important that, as the youngest grade in the upper school, that we are not treated as ‘babies’ but as equals in the school with the older kids.” If he were elected, Andrew would have worked to develop our voice as a class as his main priority, as well as working to expand the cafeteria space. Going into our grade level meeting that day, I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know what I wanted from each candidate, nor did I have an idea of whom I would vote for. But once each speech was given, I realized what I wanted was a combination of all of their thoughts. I want a representative who isn’t afraid to communicate and cares about what each member of the class wants for his or her grade. And I want someone who takes that information and does something with it. I want someone to advocate in the freshmen’s best interest in serious matters. And most importantly, I want a student representative who cares about what they are doing. Someone who is happy to supply all 117 of us with satisfactory results in every situation we present to them. Maybe getting us more lunch space or finding a spot for us to hang out in, other than the hallway, along the way. And in the end, Jonah fulfilled all of these standards, and he will make a great rep. Good luck, Jonah! ]]>