Signing Ceremony for First US Student Council Constitution Held
On Tuesday, May 22, the entire Upper School Student Council, Ms. Suzanna Jemsby, and Dr. Robert Brindley gathered in the Legacy Room to sign the first Student Council constitution. However, when Student Council reserved the room, there was no mention of the fact that it was being used for storage. There was a protracted yet indecisive battle for chairs and space and a brief moment of panic when we thought Council Representative Meredith Lowe (Grade 10) had been buried by the boxes. Luckily, someone remembered she was on the Chinese trip and the ceremony resumed.
The constitution defines the role of the Student Council as being "committed to improving the environment for Upper School students at AIS. The Student Council strives to achieve this by representing and implementing the ideas of students through dialogue with the school's administration." Also included in the 10-page document are the delegation of powers among various offices (president, vice-president, treasurer, etc.), elections and voting procedures, operating procedures for the council (Robert's Rules of Order), and a code of conduct which establishes ethical expectations for all elected representatives. Although the constitution provides the framework, what ultimately makes or breaks the Student Council will be the students, through their voting and active participation.
Grade Representative Colin Hill (Grade 10) authored the constitution and brought the initial draft to the attention of the Student Council at the beginning of the year. Two chairs have overseen the debate and evolution of the constitution: senior Jonathan Lowe and junior Max Hunt, who took over after the seniors departed. The constitution was created and approved thanks to the tireless efforts of Student Council members Benjamin Schüttler, Claire Giblin, Ethan Lyle (all Grade 11), Allegra Porter, Annie Farrell, Meredith Lowe (all Grade 10), Altay Otun, Gabriella Gorham, Dana Furqueron and Joseph Dixon (all Grade 9).
The new structure of the Student Council will provide upcoming councils with the opportunity to accomplish things unprecedented by previous student representative bodies. Dr. Brindley himself has expressed his full and enthusiastic support for the prospects this document will provide for both the council and the student body. Though the constitution does not guarantee an effective council, it at least guarantees that the council will act in a structured and democratic manner. After all, as Winston Churchill said, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."