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Next Meeting:
December 18
7:30 PM
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The newly elected members of Gotham
Avenue School’s student council are, from left, Co-president Breanna
Washington, Treasurer Ashley Kempadoo, Secretary Alesia Allen, Vice
President Sherely Benjamin and Co-president Tahreem Kamil.
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Gotham Avenue Student Council Elections
Gotham Avenue Student Council
Elections Held Co-Presidents Kamil and Washington Tapped to Lead
Student Body
While
adults were voting for the next U.S. president, students at Gotham
Avenue School were getting lessons in election-year politics and the
democratic process. Just one day after the national polls closed, the
students cast their own votes for student government leaders. The
elections process was complete with campaign advertisements and a
candidates’ debate, and resulted in a new slate of student officers.
Sharing
the presidency are Tahreem Kamil and Breanna Washington (both sixth-
graders). Also elected were Sherely Benjamin (sixth grade) as vice
president; Alesia Allen (fifth grade) as secretary; and Ashley
Kempadoo (fifth grade) as treasurer. According to Gotham’s Assistant
Principal Dennis Cowan, this slate represents the cream of the crop.
“These students are some of Gotham’s best.” He added, “Any of the 18
candidates would have made an excellent choice.”
An
important theme throughout the campaign was a commitment to the
school’s strong tradition of community service. As Alesia told fellow
students: “Being cool is not being part of the ‘in’ crowd; being cool
is being in the crowd that cares.”
To that
end, the Gotham Avenue School student council is participating in
several important community projects:
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a food drive in partnership with
the PTA and Elmont Dads’ Club; |
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beautifying Elmont during the
annual “Elmont Clean Up Day;” |
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paying tribute to the armed forces
by participating in the Veterans Day parade; |
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archiving the school’s history by
creating a scrapbook of school events from the last two decades; |
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and holding a toy drive during the
holidays to benefit local children. |
The positive impact of
the student council’s initiatives are felt far beyond Elmont. Other
service projects include adopting Moshen, an Egyptian boy, through the
Save the Children Foundation; creating get-well cards to be
distributed to Veterans Administration medical centers; and
participating in a letter-writing campaign driven by
mysoldier.com,
an organization that links pen pals with soldiers serving overseas.
The
mission of the Elmont Union Free School District is to “reach and
teach for excellence,” which means continually improving instruction
and increasing student achievement. Dedication to this goal is what
has earned Elmont recognition for its “High Performing/Gap Closing
Schools” and as a “model for school success” by New York state. In
partnership with the community, the district holds its students to the
highest standards while maintaining one of the lowest per-pupil
expenditures in Nassau County.
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