By Soven Bery ’15, Editor-In-Chief

UPDATE 4/10/2014 at 7:24 PM

Matt Thekkethala ’15 has defeated Lila Rimalovski, Nick Murray, Morgin Goldberg and Eric Liao to become the Upper School Student Council President. Thekkethala rallied the school around his slogan “Do the RIGHT thing, the WRONG way” and an enduringly hilarious story of a fly in his ear. The gifted public speaker was President of the Junior Class before staging his successful campaign. The Minuteman would like to congratulate all the candidates as well as wish Thekkethala the best of luck in his new position.

End of Update

School Council Election Preview

Last spring, Hannah Zack defeated Katie Stein and Lauren Whelan for the title of Upper School President. This year the candidate pool to replace her is almost double what it was when Zack won 12 months ago. If you have been following along with this election, then you would know that Lila Rimalovski, Nick Murray, Morgin Goldberg, Matt Thekkethala and Eric Liao are the five students vying for the honor of being named Student Council President. If you haven’t been following the campaign trail, don’t worry because The Minuteman has you covered! On Thursday, each candidate will give a speech; this will be followed by a brief question and answer session. However, it is important to be an informed voter. Before you cast your ballot, be sure to check out the following profiles and get to know the candidates!  *Nick Murray did not provide comments.

Morgin Goldberg ’15: “Connection. When we (the general population) are connected to council, to teachers, to administration and to each other, we thrive. It’s Newark Academy at its best. As a current council member, I try to bring the goal of connection, transparency, and understanding to our normal council dealings, but if elected, I’d like to see it even more! I think when these bridges are built, we can get so much accomplished. Personally, I think administration should know (and cares!) that we want to feel trusted with freedom around campus, respected with dress code, heard with our concerns, and that, once in a while, we need a break. We’d like  more frequent communication directly with administration; grades online; passkeys in and out. But, of course, most of council is about facilitating. I’m very empathetic and intuitive and I think that makes me a solid leader and communicator. I get it, I get you. I care about all of the Newark Academy community, not just my friends, and I’m extremely unintimidating. I’m also qualified! I’ve been on council for two years and I love it. I can lead (and I do lead) but at the same time, I know there is a time (most of the time) to just be a team player, and I’m fine with that. I want to see the next year be the most progressive (and smooth) it can possibly be.”

Lila Rimalovski ’15: “Kyle Ostroff made my first day at Newark Academy unforgettable. As the school president at the time, Kyle greeted my new sixth grade class with a great smile and a welcoming introduction. Since then, I have made it my goal to be that face for incoming students and the school in general. I loved the passion he brought to Newark Academy each day and I am so excited to bring even more.”

Matt Thekkethala ’15: “My name is Matt Thekkethala. I’m 5’9″. 128lbs. Indian. Blood Type A-Positive.  Life gets boring sometimes. Things get repetitive. I’m all about creativity and new ideas to make our NA experiences more enjoyable, because our high school years are supposed to be the best years of our lives. Vote Thekkethala 2014, and Do the RIGHT thing, the WRONG way.”

Eric Liao ’15: “I want to be president because I care.  I care about Newark Academy but more importantly I care about every single student.  If elected I will dedicate myself to helping you.  My ideas are your ideas because, at the end of the day, every decision I make will be made for you.  I’m different because having fun is my first priority.  I’m willing to sacrifice my grades for having a good time and if elected I will do what I can to make your time at Newark Academy more enjoyable.”

That’s it for our Upper School President preview! Now that you have heard a little bit about each candidate from his or her point of view, hopefully the daunting task of voting becomes a little bit easier.

Bonus: A Look Into Grade Elections  

The school-wide race for president isn’t the only election happening this spring. On Monday, April 14, every grade in the Upper School will hear speeches and subsequently go to the polls. The following is a comprehensive list of every candidate currently in the running for grade council.

Sophomore Council:

Mark Berger

Sanya Bery

Zak Cox

Sam Fishbein

Aman Patil

Gabi Patracuolla

Julia Tarnow

Junior Council:

Laura Boyman

Josh Charow

Dalton DeStefano

Jake Furst

Elias Neibart

Samantha Sidi

Brittney Tong

Sam Vazir

Senior Council: subject to change as the school president race unfolds