After reflecting on the first few months of my tenure, it is quite apparent that transparency between the Cabinet and the entire student body is key in a functioning democracy. That is why some weeks ago we held a Plenary session during which students were able to voice their opinions on what they like about Student Government this year and where there is room for improvement.

One particular critique to which I would like to respond is the lingering skepticism of whether or not Senior Month can be implemented. Not long ago, I had a meeting with Principal Dan Frank, Dean of Student Life Joe Bruno, and Upper School Head Justin Brandon in which we discussed the feasibility and logistics of such a program.

After gathering necessary documents and timetables, I can say with confidence that this will ideally go into effect in May 2021. Although I will no longer be a student here at that time, I hope that students will dive into what interests them with the same voracity with which this program is being formed.

In that meeting, I learned that Dr. Frank was a student at Parker during the time a program called “May Month” was active. As I have mentioned before, this was a period in the spring where seniors would finish their studies in April and then pursue their passions, typically through an internship, outside of class. If something similar has been done once, something similar can be done today.

Incidentally, I also received a number of references from archivist Andy Kaplan for places to look deeper into how exactly May Month functioned. A definition of May Month from 1974 by English teacher Marie Kirchner Stone, says, “Time allowed a more extensive and richer use of personal resources, the development of important skills, the utilization of the city as a classroom, new approaches to teaching, and a close concentrated interaction between students and faculty.” In the archive there are also images from the time, depicting students engaging in myriad activities, such as Fortran computer programming, bioethical roundtable discussions, and sketching botanical and zoological diagrams at the Field Museum.

Now that I have met with Dr. Frank, I have scheduled weekly meetings with Upper School Head Justin Brandon to continue this effort at implementation after we pass the proposal through the Assembly. In December, I hope to meet with the Senior Committee, a group of faculty who discuss the senior experience.

As previously stated, this column is a forum for feedback and accountability. From the feedback received during Plenary and the Senior Committee meeting, we hope to compose a formalized proposal that will ensure that every future Cabinet gets regular positive criticism from their peers.