Megan McGregor Editor-in-Chief
On Thursday, October 3, the Mercersburg Academy student council met for the third time this school year.
The meeting began with Chris Howes, the Dean of Student Life, reviewing club proposals. Usually there are about three new petitions, but for this particular meeting, the only proposal was for an Ultimate Frisbee club led by Ethan Weeks, Taichi Miura, and science faculty member, Cory Bontrager. After some brief deliberation, the club was approved and will begin meetings shortly.
The next topic on the agenda was to discuss the potential creation of a gym-based PGA. Proposed by Vice President Caroline Kranich, this PGA would aim to keep students active through strength and conditioning exercises while teaching them how to stay fit for the future. Some activities would include yoga, VOLT Athletics, cross-training, biking, and various non-competitive sports. It would be an application-based PGA, and students could only participate for one term a year. This idea has not yet been approved, and it will undergo further deliberation and refinement in the future.
Another petition being considered by the student council is to bring Saturday omelettes back in the dining hall. Although Saturday omelettes were a popular option, Jeff Gray, the General Manager of Food Services and Catering, said that they produced too much waste and are not necessary because of the already available hot-food options. Before continuing with the petition, the student council plans to do more research by creating a survey for the student body.
The last major topic of discussion was a room inspection proposal, conceptualized by Upper-middle President Rose Potter. The proposal aims to eliminate room checks on Tuesday nights for Upper-middlers and Seniors. This would help decrease some daily stress and allow more time for students to relax. The premise of this proposal is that, in general, Upper-middlers and Seniors have already had at least two years to work on their cleanliness and organizational habits, so they should already understand the importance of keeping a tidy room. To further discuss the proposal, the student council will welcome Brett Potash, the Director of Dormitories, at their next meeting.
After reviewing petitions, the student council discussed respective class activities for Spirit Week. The Lower-middlers will be sponsoring the decoration of the Simon Student Center windows; the Upper-middlers will be organizing a dodgeball competition; and the Senior class’ activity is to be determined. Lastly, the student council planned theme days for Spirit Week dress.
The student council meets every other week, and while meetings are not open to the public, the minutes are available to anyone who asks. The next meeting is on October 17th, and the student council will be reviewing current petitions while discussing other ideas.