Associate Head of School and High School Principal Dr. Marc Lindner will now join the Student Council during their weekly meetings.

The Student Council currently has eight student representatives who are committed to sharing both the suggestions and concerns of the student body while making positive changes, according to their mission statement. Previously, Student Council meetings consisted of a group of students and Jewish history teacher Rachel Bergstein. Bergstein, the current advisor to the group, was excited by Lindner’s willingness to participate.

“Administrators have been happy to come to our meetings when we’ve invited them, but there [had] been a lot of lag time between things we really want to facilitate open dialogue all the time between students and administrator[s], so I do think it’s a good thing for the Council,” Bergstein said.

While it is clear that Lindner’s participation is welcome, Bergstein ensured that the Council still has the ability to keep some matters private.

“It’s not always going to be that he’s [Lindner is] there. For example, last week we were doing something where we didn’t want him there so he didn’t come.”

Sophomore student representative Danielle Azachi believes that Lindner can help push the group of students to a new level of productivity. She thinks that bringing Lindner into the fold is beneficial because the Council previously struggled to initiate change as a group without any school administrators.

“We [the Council] would go and we would have a meeting and sit down and have a conversation and they [the administration] would be like, ‘Ok, we’ll get back to you,’” Azachi said. “Then we would never get a response.”

While the Council believes Lindner will provide assistance previously unattainable, the principal acknowledged there is undoubtedly a change in atmosphere when students are speaking in front of their principal.

“My sense so far in my interactions with Student Council is that I think and really do hope that everyone feels comfortable and has and would share anything they believe is worthy of sharing,” Lindner said.

Lindner agrees with Azachi’s assessment of the Council’s previous inability to remain on the same page with administration but sees positive changes on the horizon.

“I think by communicating more frequently, hopefully, we’re going to come together where I will be able to share more about where change and possibilities exist for things to happen,” Lindner said.