Representatives Approve Large Expenditure For Bike Repair Station and Nominate Next Year’s Leadership – Council Update (5/14/2018)

This past week’s Council Meeting was noteworthy as it was the first meeting with the new Council in attendance. Moderator Aisling Kelly began by welcoming the newly elected Council members, and Assistant Moderator Jasper Meyer followed this up by asking those who were voted off Council to still come back and contribute. Student LIfe Committee then gave an update saying that it had looked at the responses to the Cafeteria survey it had sent out and that it was looking at sending a letter to the school board based on the responses.

The first item on the agenda for the meeting was discussing the nominees for the Tom Hanlon Cup and then voting on the winner. Mod. Kelly explained that the Cup is given to a Council Member who went above and beyond throughout the year and that this year’s nominees were herself, Secretary Catherine Han, Senior Representative Marion Umpleby, Sophomore Representative Clay Kynor, and AMOD Jasper Meyer. Council then voted on the winner but protocol dictates that the winner is announced at another time. Next on the agenda were leadership nominations.

The first leadership nominations were for Moderator. Moderator Kelly explained that the Moderator’s job is to carry the gavel, know Robert’s Rules of Order, be the link between Council and administration, and be on the Administration committee*. Next came the nominations for Assistant Moderator. AMOD Meyer explained that his main job has been to facilitate committee work by talking with committee chairs every Tuesday and getting stuff back and forth between the committees and Council. AMOD Meyer also added that he is second in line for the gavel if the Moderator was ever not there or passed the gavel and that it is a great -though labor intensive- position. Moderator Kelly then added that AMOD Meyer has always been there for her and that part of the Assistant Moderator’s job is to be a support system for the Moderator*.

Then came nominations for Treasurer. Co-Treasurer Colm Seigne addressed the position by saying that the Treasurer’s job is to manage the Council and co-curricular fund, spend time with clubs and work out how much money they need to do what they want, to bring money allocations to Council, and to report on the results of the money allocations to Council*. Next on the agenda came nominations for Dresden School Board (DSB) Representative. Current DSB Rep. Perrin Milliken addressed her position, saying that she has acted as the liaison between the DSB and Council. She also said that there is a meeting every month where the DSB Rep. will go and sit at the table with the Dresden School Board and often take notes so they can report to Council. In addition, DSB Rep. Milliken said that she wrote reports for the HHS Broadside this year and that she hopes the next DSB Rep. will do the same so the school can be informed about the actions of the Dresden School Board*.

Current Public Relations Person Henry Kahl then described his leadership position, saying that the PR Person’s job is to update the Council bulletin board and generally make sure the student body is informed*. Lastly, Secretary Catherine Han described the responsibilities that have come with her position, describing how she writes and sends out the minutes, posts on the Council website, keeps roll call and attendance, has the sheets for each motion that is passed, and makes sure handbook changes are made correctly*.

After these numerous nominations Council moved on to the last item on the agenda, the continuation of the discussion surrounding the Bike Fix-it Station Allocation. Co-Treasurer Seigne began by clarifying that the allocation wording had been amended so that the money would now go to the HHS Bike Club so its members can maintain it and facilitate its use. After this amendment, the head of the Bike Club, Mr. Phipps, said that the station was something the club had considered in past; however, since the club has been inactive this year, a station was never implemented. However, Mr. Phipps said that it would be an important way for the school to fulfill its missions as it would be a great resource to the community.

Junior Representative Dory Psomas took issue with this allocation, saying that only one person out of the 2 common grounds she visited said they rode their bike to school, and even they said they wouldn’t use it. Rep. Psomas then added that the junior class poll results also looked bad and so she was worried there won’t be enough student interest for such a big money investment. Community Rep. Kirsten Elin argued back that HHS should work to support any sort of non-gas transport and that she loves the fact that the public would be able to use it. To this Mr. Phipps added that he hopes that having it will help everyone. Mr. Phipps also explained that the station has QR scanning to make it self-usable and that part of its purpose will be to increase bike usage in the school. Teacher Representative Mr. Bourne followed this up with a strong statement of confidence, saying that this is an opportunity to give back to the community and support the environment. After much discussion, Council passed the allocation unanimously, passing one of the larger allocations of all year with a total of $1,500 going to the Bike Club for the Bike Fix-it Station.

*Table of Nominees for Each Position