The Columbia High School Student Council has had quite a year.
At the annual winter conference of the New Jersey Association of Student Councils (NJASC), the nation’s oldest student leadership organization, CHS’s Student Council hit a trifecta: it was named an Honor School for the eighth year in a row, was awarded for having one of the state’s ten best projects, and most impressively, CHS junior Matt Girardi was elected as Secretary to the NJASC Executive Board.
To learn more about Girardi and the State Board, visit the NJASC website.
“We are so proud that Matt worked hard to earn the nomination from CHS, which has, frankly, a host of students qualified to run, and that he then successfully campaigned and won. We are looking forward to see what he contributes statewide, and what he brings back to CHS,” said Principal Elizabeth Aaron.
“This is the first time a Columbia student has served on the state board since the 1950s,” said Hannah Edelman, a CHS teacher and Student Council faculty advisor. The honor is all the sweeter because as Girardi and his fellow council members discovered, Columbia High School was one of the founders of the state association and actually wrote the original State Student Council constitution back in 1933.
CHS joined the State Student Council roughly sixteen years ago, to give its members an opportunity to meet students from across the state and exchange ideas on different activities and events, said Edelman, who has served as faculty advisor along with Carol Petrallia since 1995. (Dr. Beth Dalzell joined as Co-Advisor over twelve years ago, and this year, Suzanne Ryan joined as a Co-Advisor.)
The NJASC helps middle and high school student councils to be more active and engaged in their schools and communities by encouraging participation in student government and providing a forum for students to network and share ideas for successful projects and events.
“When our CHS Student Council got behind Matt to organize his campaign we had no idea that Columbia High School had such an important legacy in the beginnings of the State Student Council organization,” said Edelman.
At the NJASC’s fall conference, Girardi and fellow council members President Harrison Woods and Vice President Aanu Fawole began to investigate what was involved in running for state office. In January, students elect their statewide representatives for the NJASC Executive Board alternating from North Jersey to South Jersey each year. Girardi decided to run, and was selected after undergoing a candidate slating interview.
He worked on his speech, editing it with the help of the CHS student council, and the group worked together on campaign materials including banners, and posters. “It took incredible dedication on the part of Ms. Ryan and Ms. Edelman especially and I am incredibly grateful to them,” said Girardi.
“It was very exciting to launch a campaign,” said Edelman. We had a huge banner and give-a-ways with the message: ‘Vote for Matthew Girardi –he has the “write stuff!”’
Girardi has been involved in some kind of student government since he was a 4th grader at South Mountain School. At CHS, he has served as the class of 2016’s Member-At-Large, which is one of the three voting members of the class alongside the President and Vice President.
Girardi said giving his speech at the winter conference was nervewracking. “Seeing a number of great speakers and incredible student leaders around me was extraordinary,” he said, adding, “The experience was exhilarating and I wouldn’t have changed a moment of it.”
He continued, “…when I heard Columbia High School and my name called, I was beyond words. I am incredibly honored and privileged to be able to represent my school and give it such a great honor that it truly deserves. I am looking forward to a fantastic year ahead for the NJASC, and will be honored to represent NJ to the best of my ability.”
In addition to Girardi’s win, CHS presented a workshop on “How to Run a Successful Volleyball Tournament,” received a certificate for achieving “Honor School” for the eighth year in a row and won a plaque for “Top Ten Projects” for the Goat Project.
“The Goat Project focused on our CHS community raising in excess of $10,000 for Bassin Bleu, a small community in Haiti, so that they could purchase goats to become self-sufficient,” Edelman explained. At the Spring Awards in June, the CHS Student Council will donate the money to the charity and will receive the Community Smile Award for its volunteer efforts.
The students also will have the opportunity to participate in a Summer Leadership Training Conference (LTC) in July. Girardi will attend both sessions this summer and CHS hopes to send other CHS student leaders to the program. “We have been told that it is ‘life altering,'” said Edelman.
Edelman continued, “This new venture with Matthew as an elected officer will give us a new perspective that we have not been privy to since the 1950’s. It seems that we have come full circle and it’s all because our students wanted to get involved and we felt that they deserved our support.”
Columbia High School Student Council
Student Council President: Caroline Van Zeijts
Student Council Vice President: Claire Connolly
Student Council Secretary: Dillon Gray
Student Council Treasurer: Lucy Daugherty
Senior Class President: Natalie Spidle
Senior Class Vice President: Serin Feldman
Junior Class President: Harrison Woods
Junior Class Vice President: Aanu Fawole
Sophomore Class President: Samori Etienne
Sophomore Class Vice President: Ellie Cohen
Freshman Class President: Sierra McCrear
Freshman Class Vice President: Zoe Crutcher
Club Council President: Jake Gruber
Club Council Vice President: Justice Williams
Board of Education Representative: Maggie Kritzberg
Board of Education Representative Alternate: Mia Goldstein
