Before we break for the holiday, it’s time to issue an update on a branch of student government that often goes unreported: Student Senate.

The Senate is the branch of Student Government concerned with student advocacy and advising school policy.

I’ve been a senator all four years of high school, and we’ve never been more active in my time at NDA than right now.

Last week, a team of upperclassmen senators, along with Senate advisor Crystal Dory, organized a series of presentations for underclassmen in the auditorium.

We met with freshmen on Tuesday and sophomores on Wednesday, both during their advisory periods.

The topic: final exams prep.

With COVID disrupting the normal flow of the school year, freshmen and sophomores alike have yet to experience a true NDA final exam.

It was our mission with these meetings to provide the tips and tricks underclassmen need to turn in a good performance on finals week.

Two weeks ago, the Senate held our first ever school-wide town hall during Lunch B, giving students a platform to voice their concerns.

For those that stopped by, we discussed concerns with the dress code, the advisory period, stress at school, and much more.

With the Senate being the main advocates for the student body, these types of listening sessions are important and likely to return in the future.

Meanwhile, in the background, the Senate has been active on two additional fronts.

We ran several interviews for potential school presidential candidates before NDA hired Tom Kiely in spring of 2020.

In addition, we’ve been advising administration on their upcoming adjustment to the school dress code.

Four senators, one from each grade level, have been meeting with Associate Principal Greg Masarik and a select committee of faculty and parents to craft the proposal, which, barring any setback , will go into effect next school year