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continued from cover but their titles will be different. Below the President and Vice President are the “Associate Vice Presidents.” These associate vice presidents each have their own specific areas of responsibility: Communications, Operations, and Student Life. The diagram shows what the expectations are of each position on the G.O. The President, as previously, will assume his or her usual job of leading the G.O. and the school, and the Vice President, taking the job of the former “Senior Vice President,” will help to organize and coordinate with the class presidents. Nevertheless, the three other positions each have very specific roles pertaining to different aspects of student government. “The reorganizing of the G.O. in this way reflects a goal of having greater clarity both for expectations of the members and for the school as a whole,” said Rabbi Slomnicki. “Now, the student body will really know and understand how the G.O. is structured, and what everyone’s job on the G.O. is”. Previously, only the position of the Secretary of the G.O. was clear to the student body. The Secretary sent emails, connected with the school on various forms of social media, and took notes at SFAC meetings. However, the other titles, such as Treasurer and Junior Vice President, have been slightly vague. Now, Associate Vice President of Communications will assume the role of the Secretary, writing the weekly emails to the student body and posting on the G.O. instagram, snapchat, and Facebook page. The Associate Vice President of Operations, according to the diagram, is in charge of the Gabbaim Chair, the Activities Chair, the Aesthetics and Decor Chair, and the Film Chair. Lastly, the Associate Vice President of Student Life is in charge of dealing with all the student-run clubs and their captains and leaders. “As we were going through the process of changing the student government, we did go through some different ideas of what we would call each position, toying with various titles and thinking about how to organize the students and their needs into different sections,” said Rabbi Slomnicki. “Also, calling all of them ‘associate vice president’ keeps the titles elevated and satisfies the student, and along with the spe-
April/May 2017
New G.O. System cific title, guides the student into what their job really is.” Members of the current G.O. and many other students appreciate this reorganization of roles and titles. “I definitely think that there was ambiguity in the past, including this year, with what exactly each person in the GO does, so I think that it is super necessary and important that they created these roles,” said Naomi Frelich ’18, who was G.O. Secretary in 2016-2017. The changes to do not end there. The criteria of who is eligible to run has also been altered. While the President of the school must still be a rising senior, all other four positions are open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. While in previous years, only rising juniors and seniors could run for a G.O. Executive Board position, now current freshmen who will be sophomores next year are allowed to run for office. The reason freshmen are being allowed to run is to have “a broader representation of the student body,” as Rabbi Slomnicki put it. “I think that it is a good idea to have freshman run, and that it is more democratic in a sense,” said Frelich. “Now, lowerclassmen will be able to voice their concerns in a more effective way,” she said. However, others are a little skeptical of the idea. “Freshmen have only been in the school for one year, so they are not completely ready to run for a position in the G.O. and make decisions on behalf of everyone,” said Paula Mattout ’19. “I don’t think that as a freshman I would have been ready, but after having done two years at Ramaz, I feel prepared.” Mattout is to be the Associate Vice President of Communications in next year’s G.O. The final change to the system is in the way students have to run and campaign in the primaries. Now, candidates for the primary elections can share their voice with the student body, as they are obligated to make a short video. The videos are sent out to the students the night before the primary election to allow the student body to become acquainted with those running and what they plan to do for the school. “This idea of obligating those running in the primaries to make a video was a response to the feedback we’ve gotten for many years to allow the primary election candidates
The new handbook's diagram of the student government structure.
voice what they are running upon,” said Rabbi Slomnicki. In terms of where this new G.O. system will take the school, it will likely define more clearly the role the G.O. plays within the student body, and perhaps, the group will be set up to accomplish more as a result. As Rabbi Slomnicki said, “The G.O. has a lot of potential. It could be a more observable body in the school, and we’re trying to work towards that. In terms of the future, we encourage students to voice their concerns, so we can better situate ourselves to change what needs to be changed.”
Rina Ariel, Mother of Hallel z"l, Speaks to Students
Abigail Huebner '18
On June 30th last year, 13-year-old Hallel Ariel z”l was stabbed to death in her bed in Kiryat Arba by a 17-year-old Palestinian teenager living nearby. On April 25th, Hallel’s mother, Rina, came to speak to the Ramaz juniors and seniors about her daughter and the impact Hallel’s short life had both on those who knew her personally and on those who did not. Rina Ariel flew all the way from Israel to speak to various groups about her life since last June and about Hallel’s legacy. Rabbi Schiowitz posted on Schoology to inform the students a few days before the speaker came, explaining that “Rina has taken an incredible approach in her constructive reaction to this horror, and I am sure that you will find her presentation interesting and meaningful.” Rabbi Schiowitz heard Rina speak in his shul a few days before, and “she was so inspiring that I said she had to come to Ramaz.” He then arranged for Rina to come speak to the students, to inspire them just as she had inspired him. Rina spoke about Hallel’s values of friendship and kindness to others and the lessons we should all take from Hallel’s example. Rina told the students that after Hallel’s death, one of her friends had come to tell her that Hallel had “saved her life” by befriending her when
no one else would and by always being kind to her. Hallel’s family lives in a dangerous area, and on Hallel’s last night before she was murdered, she was on her way home from a dance recital when one of her friends asked if she was scared to walk home alone from the bus. “Why would I be afraid? It’s home,” her mother relayed as Hallel’s last sentence to her friends. She explained that Hallel, up until her last moments, had been unafraid and without regrets, happy to live where she lived and lead the life she led. This, explained her mother, serves as an inspiration to everyone. “It was really valuable to hear the story of a girl who was just like us, but whose life took a turn that none of us could’ve imagined,” said Emily Stemp ’18. “We forget that there are people elsewhere who are constantly prepared for the possibility of such tragedies…it made me rethink my values a little…a much needed shift of perspective,” she said.
Rina Ariel with her daughter, Hallel, who passed away in a terrorist attack in Kiryat Arba in June 2016.
Congratulations to Next Year's Rampage Editorial Board! Editors-in-Chief: Rebecca Araten, Abigail Huebner, Julia Levi Associate Editor-in-Chief: Naomi Frelich Online Editors: Derek Korff-Korn, Mark Marcus Layout Editor: Netanel Kamel