This week’s events included the results of the freshmen elections, an assembly featuring Austin Whitney, and the freshmen L.I.F.E. wellness session with the senior panel.

“I was really enthused by the freshmen wellness because every freshmen was involved in the survey that we took and the questions that we used came from all of the freshmen. The senior panel, that was new, they communicated back and forth very well,” said Upper School Division Head Butch Keller. “We could have gone on for hours. The senior panel was really engaged and the freshmen were really engaged.”

Freshmen voted for their student council on September 30 and the results were released on the morning of October 3. During the school meeting, four new members of the student council were introduced: Sarah Bean as president, Nikita Mittal as vice-president, Vivian Isenberg as secretary, and as David Lin as treasurer. While student councils of past years have been male-dominated, this year’s freshman council stands as the only one with a female majority.

After the “indoor recess” that took place on October 5, sophomores, juniors, and seniors attended an assembly with guest speaker Austin Whitney. Whitney became paralyzed after a drunk driving accident the summer after his senior year; however, a functioning exoskeleton allowed him to walk across the stage at his graduation from UC Berkeley four years later. Whitney shared his experiences about drunk driving and his attitude and approach to life with Upper School students.

All freshmen attended a L.I.F.E. assembly on October 5 that revolved around a question and answer session with the senior panel, which comprised of nine seniors. Freshmen received advice from the older students and asked questions based on topics such as homework, sleep, and finals.

More events to look forward to next week include the Student Directed Showcase (SDS) auditions, the freshmen community service trip, and the annual school-wide picnic.