Student Government & Clubs
2018-2019
A Note From the President & Vice President
Interested in how the school’s student government worked, we decided to participate in it. Little did we know that we would become the school’s new president and vice president. Vy, as the president, is responsible for leading student council meetings and organizing student activities and school events. The president also works with other students to resolve problems and inform school officers new ideas for a better school environment. Khoi, as the vice president, acts as the right hand assisting the president and helps prepare meeting agendas while also moderating and coordinating the work of the student government. The role of the student government at The New School is to be an advocate for the whole student body by sharing students’ ideas and interests. We also help share the concern with the teachers and take responsibility by helping to plan for the school activities and events.
Vy Vo
President
Class of 2020
Khoi Tran
Vice President
Class of 2020
A Note From the Events Coordinator
One of the main purposes of student government at The New School is to put on events for the student body and encourage school spirit. Although we have prom, field day, and holiday events like other schools do, each have their own New School twist. Prom was hosted in a beautiful penthouse located in Del Ray complete with a raffle, a student DJ and student bartenders. Earlier in the year we also had Lunar New Year organized by the international officers, a PJ palooza and an all inclusive holiday event complete with karaoke. To end the year off we had Field Day which had a bounce house, slip and slide, all school lunch, and ice cream fight thanks to our favorite Shannan. We had a very successful year and more upcoming student government participation and interest than we have had in recent years.
Emily Ocasio
Events Coordinator
Class of 2023
A Note From a Dedicated Student Government Officer
Having participated in student government for the past few years, I can say with confidence that this is the year when it truly hit its stride. Not only were we able to make sure that our usual events were amazing, we were able to do so in a way that left us enough money and mental bandwidth to allow us to organize a few new things. We ran a Thanksgiving food drive, championed a (hopefully now annual) pajama party, and created a fun-filled spirit week. More importantly, however, is the fact that this year’s student government really came together to work as friends, creating not just events but a sense of community.
Annette Hasnas
Former President
Class of 2019
Clubs
Clubs are student created and student run. Each year there are some long-standing clubs that return, but new interests also lead to the creation of new clubs throughout the year. It is always fun to see how students use clubs to connect to each other, either through similar interests or through looking for something new to try.
| Peer Support | Anime |
| Music | Yearbook |
| Programming | Book |
| Cappies | Nature |
| Chill Out | Textiles & Knitting |
| Dungeons & Dragons | Conversation Club |
Nature Club
Nature Club is one of the many student-led clubs at The New School. Nature Club has four to six regular members. However, some events, such as our camping trip, attracted students who would not otherwise be interested in participating in Nature Club activities. One of Nature Club’s most significant events was an overnight camping trip at Sky Meadows State Park, which involved an hour-long bus ride to the park, a mile-long hike to the campsite, the dipping of toes in a babbling brook, the triumphant creation of a campfire, a twilight escape from the campsite to stargaze in a far-flung field, a serene slumber under the blanket of darkness, the awakening to the mist of a morning drizzle, the filtering of fresh stream water, a sequel to the campfire, the mile-long trek back, and the hour-long
return to the familiarity of school, with a lunch break in a cozy diner along the way. During the Winter Festival, Nature Club made a toasty, crackling bonfire to roast marshmallows on. Nature Club also helps with some of the environmental efforts at the school.
Michelle Cliff
Class of 2021
Anime Club
Anime Club started as an idea from my friend, Laura
Hoffman. Since the beginning of the year when I started it, I’ve been running the club the best I can.
We’ve watched three anime since the beginning of the year, and the club members have seemed to
enjoy watching most of them. I enjoy being part of and being able to help make a small community in
school where everyone has a common interest. I plan to continue it next year, and I’m excited to see what adventures the club gets into!
Stellar Paskow
Class of 2025
Dungeons & Dragons
For this school year, I hosted the Dungeons & Dragons club. It was previously run by Chase Heine, but he wanted to focus more on senior work this year, so I had to step up and become the Dungeon Master. I had only played D&D as a character previ-
ously, so this was something I had to learn as I went along. At the start, there were twelve members in the club which I split into groups of six, with some players being new and others being more experienced. While both groups were doing the same campaign, their interactions with their scenarios were widely different, creating different outcomes. I tried to give the players as much freedom as possible, so they could guide their adventures. Overall, while I was a little rusty as a DM, I believe the players still
had a good time and I am hoping to host this club next year.
Chase Kidder
Class of 2020
Parent Perspective: When Camping Teaches
Reprinted from the October 2018 Newsletter
When I heard from my daughter that the new Nature Club planned to go camping this fall, I was a little skeptical. Sleeping in the woods requires know-how and advance planning. Turns out this group had all that and a supportive faculty sponsor as well.
I got to go along on their inaugural outing to Sky Meadows State Park, about 50 miles west of The New School and probably the prettiest spot that close in any direction. This 30-hour adventure had lots to offer in terms of essential skills and old-fashioned fun. Some of the seven participating students were old hands at backpacking, and some were experiencing camping for the very first time.
Due to the short time and high humidity, the only hiking was a one-mile trek out and back to the campsite along a muddy trail on the banks of Gap Run Creek. Then, after setting up four tents and one hammock–thanks to plenty of teamwork–the campers got to the heart of the matter: a campfire. Some went off to haul in park-approved firewood; some gathered twigs, others leaves; some broke apart dead branches found nearby. Fire mistress and Nature Club President Michelle built a cone of
sustainable forest combustibles in the fire pit. Damp matches were wrangled to life. Additional kindling was scrounged. Students sat by the smoking fire pit, coaxing, fanning, feeding, and even singing to the reluctant flames. About two hours later, they were eating ramen, grilled hot dogs, and s’mores–absolutely delicious thanks to the fresh air, smoky smell, patience, persistence, and hike-fueled hunger.
In the afternoon, the kids cooled off by wading barefoot in the brisk flowing stream adjacent to the campsite. This water is quite clean as it is close to its origin and has never traversed a road or agricultural field at this point. Good thing, because by morning, we were short of water and had to boil water from the creek to make our oatmeal. We filtered it first by pouring the water through a handkerchief. Good thing we also had a biology teacher along to teach us survival skills.
After dinner, the campers crossed the stream and made their way through an old stone wall and barbed wire fence to an open field to watch color fade from the sky as night fell. Morning brought thick fog to the campground, and another camp fire. After hiking back down to the van, we spent our last hour in the park, enjoying gorgeous views, chickens, and banjo-playing by the historical visitor center.
From planning and prep (self-awareness and management) to fire building (problem solving) to appreciating our precious public land (social and global responsibility), this trip provided lots of opportunities to practice essential skills in a setting so delightful and fun, you couldn’t tell you were learning.
Kate Beddall
Alumni Parent, Class of 2020