by Jackie Pollack
Meet Arianna Stassa: high school president, senior editor of the yearbook, and star of Irvington theater productions.
Stassa is extremely passionate about being involved in school activities and is always spotted in the halls with a smile.
Stassa said, “I have a lot of school spirit and I wanted my presidency to be about bringing that spirit into the rest of the school.”
In seventh grade, Stassa began her journey in student council as a senator. She always looked up to the high school presidents and has worked her way up student government to achieve her goal during her senior year.
One of the many reasons Stassa enjoys being a part of student council is because she gets to interact with new teachers and students of all different grades. Being in a small school has given her the opportunity to foster connections with a large portion of the student body and become a friendly face to everyone in the halls.
Stassa has worked tirelessly on school-wide events such as Color War and the second annual “Irvies.” Before the corona outbreak, Stassa was also organizing the “Irvies” and deciding what foundations from last year would now become traditions.
This year, Color War was a huge success thanks to the efforts of the student council. Despite planning all the activities and making sure the day ran smoothly, Stassa added that they had to organize little surprises to further engage the students.
One of the surprises the student council arranged was a graduation ceremony for teachers that are retiring at the end of the school year. They were honored with speeches and flowers. Another revelation was a video clip of the character Kevin from the TV show “The Office”, played by Brain Baumgartner, to announce Color War. Though it was challenging to take on these tasks, Stassa swiftly handled the projects and ensured everyone had a great time which was her main goal.
Stassa believes that the purpose of Color War is for each grade to work together and pull all their strengths to win the day.
Additionally, Stassa announced the “teacher and student of the week” over the loudspeaker every Friday to recognize our school community members. Stassa notes that being acknowledged to the whole school for little things means the most when those people don’t ask for it.
Another way Stassa recognized students is by incorporating more Irvington sports news over the announcements. Many sports go unnoticed, but Stassa has worked to honor everyone at school and make everyone feel special.
Stassa smiled and said, “You bring the community together by letting people know that they are valued.”
Outside of school, Stassa volunteers twice a week with fourth graders at Clock Towers, a theater program. This has shown her how to properly help teach younger children as she gets ready to continue her studies at the University of Michigan with a major in education.
Recently, Stassa starred in “Oliver!” as Nancy. She continues to engage in activities she feels passionate about and urges everyone to do the same.
Though Stassa is disappointed about having to be home during the pandemic, she is so proud of what the student council has achieved so far this school year. She is meeting with Mr. Berkowitz and Ms. Cutignola next week to discuss future plans for the student council. Even in quarantine, she remains optimistic by continuing to reach out to her Yearbook classmates to discuss new ideas to put into the book.
She said, “I wish we had more time to complete some of the projects that lie ahead such as the Irvington Choice Awards, Rent a Senior and so much more. Student council has been my rock throughout high school. I have made bonds that I will never forget and this end will not change that. I am still so thankful to have had this opportunity; it is something that I have been waiting for for the past four years.”
