Reed Intermediate Elects Student Council Officers

By Laurie Borst

Reed Intermediate School recently held elections for Student Council officers. Fifth graders Ivy Lee and Patrick Rowley were elected as vice president and treasurer, respectively. Sixth grader John Meyers was elected treasurer and fellow sixth grader Austin Hubbert is this year’s president.

Patrick wanted to run for treasurer because he loves math. John felt secretary was a good fit for him because he is a good typist and a good listener, skills required by the secretary.

Ivy moved to Newtown recently. She said her homeroom alternate representative to the council talked her in to running. “It’s helped me meet lots of new people,” Ivy said.

“I thought I’d be a good choice as president. People say I’m organized and a good leader,” stated Austin. “My mom talked about her job as a vice president at a company and I thought it sounded interesting.”

The Student Council works on a variety of projects throughout the year. They organize Spirit Day in the fall and again in the spring. Student Council organizes the students vs staff basketball game as well as the ice cream social.

Currently, the council is working on filling a Thanksgiving basket, a project that Women Involved in Newtown (WIN) oversees. Reed students will be donating fixings for a turkey dinner for a needy family.

Austin discussed two new projects. The group is working to open a school store, hoping to open by New Year’s. “That’s what we’re aiming for,” he stated.

Another project he would like to see come to fruition is a web page for the Student Council linked to Reed’s website. “This way, people can stay informed about Student Council,” Austin added. “We are open to ideas for other projects.”

The council conducts fundraisers to provide monies for the ice cream social and makes donations to causes like Katrina Relief and the Play Space at Reed.

Student Council meets twice a month on the second and fourth Tuesdays. The officers spend about two hours a week for meetings and other work. Vice President Ivy writes up and makes announcements on the PA system of upcoming events.

Austin writes meeting agendas that he reviews with advisor Lil Martenson, a fifth grade teacher. Mike Altenburger is also an advisor to the group. Mr Altenburger began teaching at Newtown Middle School in 2001 where he worked with Linda Dale Mullholland as advisors to the NMS Student Council. When he moved to Reed in 2003, he and Mrs Martenson teamed up to advise the Reed Council.

The council consists of the four officers and approximately 80 classroom representatives and alternates.