![WASC looks for more than the basic California State standards. According to chairperson Mike Woo, “As new rules and new concerns come up through society, [WASC] look[s] is the school doing something about that. Like the biggest trend post-COVID is mental wellness. So is your school doing something to address the mental health of the students? Along with are they still doing the proper academics?”](https://theburlingameb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3401-1200x1200.png)
![“For me personally, I want [others] to see the music program as a strong union because we can really bring out the life of our school,” Vega said. “We need music, you know? Otherwise, things would be really silent and dead.”](https://theburlingameb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/unnamed-1200x801.jpeg)
Freshman class cabinet embraces new leadership roles
Cabinet members Lexie Levitt, Cindy Wu, Carly Peters and Natalie Gyde (left to right) confer ahead of the second student council meeting on Oct. 5.
October 17, 2021
Freshman year is a monumental shift for any incoming high school student, but the class of 2025 is at a particular disadvantage after spending their last year of middle school primarily online. Despite this, class cabinet roles have to be filled, and this year’s freshman cabinet is more than up to the challenge.
President Lexie Levitt, vice president Natalie Gyde, secretary Sophia Puzon, treasurer Cindy Wu, class historian Carly Peters and class coordinator Towa Miyoshi make up this year’s freshman student council.
The freshman cabinet is poised with the unique responsibility of representing the class still transitioning from middle school to high school. Like many of their peers, their adjustment has been filled with ups and downs thus far.
“I like my classes and my classmates,” Puzon said. “The transition from middle school was difficult, especially during the pandemic where [we were] quickly thrust into a completely new environment with new faces after sitting behind a computer screen for a year and a half.”
This year’s cabinet hopes to help ease the adjustment by putting a focus on ensuring that students’ voices are heard and their concerns are addressed. The opportunity to provide a platform for student perspectives is what inspired some in the cabinet to run in the first place.
“I noticed that students often don’t get to voice their opinion and thought if I was on student council, I could change that,” Levitt said.
The council hopes to create, as Levitt describes it, “a simple system for students to share their ideas and opinions” to address this. They hope that with increased class participation, the cabinet will be able to better make decisions based on what their peers actually want.
The cabinet also aims to foster a feeling of community within the freshman student body. They believe that this is especially important given how long it has been since many in their class attended in-person school.
“I want to make sure that I create an environment for me and my classmates where we have fun every day and truly enjoy school,” Gyde said.
The cabinet, many of whom have been friends for years, understand how important an environment of community and acceptance is for success; they already have one among the group.
“I’m confident [as class president] knowing I have a great cabinet on my side,” Levitt said.
