After completing its first few meetings of the year, the student council has created a sizable repertoire of activities and ideas to implement this fall. The most significant item on the council’s agenda is making Choate a more environmentally aware school. Says President Jin Ha ’08, “There is one overlying goal that I’m trying to implement with the student council: to focus on the importance of water conservation.”

This year’s water conservation campaign will augment the Hydro Cup campaign that student council president emeritus Jeff Rosen ’07 implemented during his term in office last year.

The goal of this year’s campaign will be for the community to increase tap water consumption and reduce bottled water consumption. Sixth form student council representative Lauren Provini ’08 explained, “By buying bottled water we are feeding money into companies that are burning fuels to make plastic, which is counterintuitive now that we as a school have focused on environmental sustainability.”

Although many students take water for granted, states Jin Ha, there are miserable schools and villages in third world countries that do not have water to brush or shower. For this reason, the student council hopes to fundraise and donate any generated income to Rotary International. Jin Ha explained, “They [Rotary International] have many projects that supply schools and villages in third world countries with aqua filters or newly built wells.”

The student council also hopes to play a larger role in community service, thus setting an example to encourage the rest of the school. Jin Ha expects that “soon enough there will be a community service activity that the student council is directly involved with.”

A more jovial goal for the student council is to form a student council band that will make special guest appearances during school meetings. Currently the group is deciding on songs to add to its repertoire, explained Provini.

The senior members of the student council are also deciding the logistics of their class gift to the school. Hoping to leave an eternal mark in the hearts of Choate Rosemary Hall students, the class of 2008 will gather funds to “revamp the entire SAC patio and turn it into the Class of 2008 patio,” said Provini. The renovated patio will be created using bricks, with each class of 2008 student having an individual brick with her name.

Mr. Courcey formally announced the details of the class of 2008 gift during the sixth form meeting on Saturday, September 29; and fundraising for the gift will begin in the near future, speculates Provini.