When we elected our student government last year, many students anticipated the usual unfulfilled promises, but this year’s G.O. has already taken steps to defy the status quo.

Last May, G.O. President Raymond Ashkenazie ’24 promised charging stations around the school, school discounts at kosher facilities in the area, a third-floor lounge, and Student-Faculty Administration Committees (SFACs). Though most of these promises have been fulfilled already, the G.O. is still working with the administration to finalize plans for the third-floor lounge and for SFACs.

However, this school year has also posed new challenges for students. For example, the new lateness policy causes students to be marked late if they arrive even a minute later than when school starts at 8 a.m. “There was a lot of backlash from students when the administration decided to change the rule, but we are currently working with the administration to modify the lateness policy.

I am hoping that by the second quarter, we will have transformed the lateness system,” Simon Werthenschlag ’26, one of the sophomore class presidents said.

Students were also disappointed with the new makeup exam policy, which is that they can only be taken on Wednesdays. “We worked with the administration over the summer, and we were very disappointed with some of the results,” Ashkenazie ‘24 said in response to the new policy. “But we are going to continue trying to find viable solutions.” Going forward, the G.O. plans to further improve the school with changes to the new tap-in system, more privileges for underclassmen, and more free periods for upperclassmen.

However, Ashekenazie ‘24 added that the G.O. will be prioritizing student support for Israel amidst the Israel-Hamas war, claiming that everything “has taken a backseat just so that we can really focus on Israel programming and getting students involved in what’s going on.” The G.O. has been effectively encouraging students to go to rallies, hang up posters, say Tehilim, and start their own initiatives, with Ashley Rechtschaffen ‘25 expressing how the G.O. has facilitated her and her peers to get involved in various initiatives to support Israel. “The G.O. really made supporting Israel easier by canceling the test the day after the [October 10] rally. It definitely encouraged me and other people in my grade to go.”

In addition to focusing on these broader issues, individual class presidents are actively addressing specific concerns within their grades. Gabi Flatto-Katz ’27, one of the freshman class presidents, mentioned that he and the other freshman representatives are working to plan “field trips specifically for the freshmen.”

However, there are concerns regarding how effectively the G.O. is addressing its promises. One student criticized the G.O.’s lack of success in lessening their workload, claiming that they’re feeling “even more stressed than I was last year.” Other students are feeling content with this year’s G.O. and their progress. Zoe Brisman ‘26 reaffirmed her vote for this year’s team, insisting that “So far, it has been ‘promises made, promises kept,’ and hopefully, it will continue that way for the rest of the year.”