What you need to know:
- This year, the ASB Legislative Council is working to create two new commissions centered around mental health and sustainability in an effort to organize new events and increase student resources in both areas.
- Along with efforts towards creating a physical wellness center, the mental health commission is working to set up an alumni panel by November.
- The sustainability commission is working to figure out the logistics of the new commission and create a campus community garden for students.
This year, the ASB Legislative Council is working to create two new commissions centered around mental health and sustainability in an effort to organize new events and increase student resources in both areas.
Legislative Council representatives express the diverse voice of the student body as they vote on ASB budget distributions, new club and school events approvals.
“I joined Legislative Council because I wanted to help improve our school experience and be more involved,” junior and Legislative Council representative Angelina Zhou said.
Seniors and ASB co-vice presidents Kimaya Pantvaidya and Siddarth Gupta, the ASB leads driving efforts to create these new commissions, have done so as a result of student feedback.
“At the first meeting, we saw that all student representatives were taking initiative and pitching ideas freely,” Pantvaidya said. “We set up the framework for them initially and helped them organize and facilitate changes, but they are leading the discussions and planning the events.”
One major area of concern ASB heard echoing among the student population is the lack of accessibility to mental health support. As a result, they reached out to and worked closely with school therapist Jenna Starnes and FUHSD Social Emotional Learning lead Leila Lurie to form the Mental Health Commission.
Mental health resources and facilities in other FUHSD schools like Monta Vista High School inspired the commission’s current plans. In order to fund large-budget projects, ASB leads have also been meeting with Principal Maria Jackson to discuss applying for grants.
“Right now, we are in the talks of creating a wellness base,” Gupta said. “Currently, we are the only school in the district that doesn’t have a physical space, like a wellness room, for students to gather in.”
Along with efforts toward the wellness center, the commission is working to set up an alumni panel by November.
“The main goal of this panel is to show students, especially underclassmen, that many stereotypes about having to be the best of the best at Lynbrook and getting good grades aren’t necessarily the key to success in high school,” Gupta said. “The panel will also allow students to explore post-high school options outside of attending a 4-year academic institution.”
While there are resources in place to support students in need, many are unaware of them or shy away from seeking external help. By creating initiatives to advocate for mental health care, Legislative Council can reduce stigma around the issue.
“I think a cultural shift is very important,” Starnes said. “We need to develop a school culture where it’s normal to take care of one’s mental and emotional health and where it is normal to utilize a wellness space.”
In tandem with the Mental Health Commission, the new Sustainability Commission will work closely with the FUHSD Climate Collective to coordinate school events promoting greener practices and sustainability. Senior and Climate Collective student board representative and president Arnav Singal has served as a liaison between the Climate Collective and Lynbrook to coordinate the commission’s creation.
“We want to do our part in educating everyone about sustainability and implement initiatives that reduce our carbon footprint,” Singal said. “It can’t be a responsibility we push to future generations.”
Most recently, the ASB leads, along with Singal and the Climate Collective team, have been working toward two main goals: setting up the new commission and a campus community garden for students. Although still in the early stages of development, the team also hopes to set up a system for Legislative Council Representatives to directly work with the administration to implement their own sustainability events and initiatives.
This year, the Legislative Council Sustainability Commission will also join the efforts of setting up the annual FUHSD Earth Day.
Compared to a previous ASB sustainability commission formed in November 2022, the new commission hopes to more heavily implement green practices while planning school events. Although initially formed to advise ASB on ways to stay more sustainable, the previous commission’s impact was limited by budget issues. However, the new commission, being made up of many non-ASB students, is more independent from ASB.
“The new sustainability commission gives ASB more purpose and will be able to hold it more accountable as opposed to previous efforts,” Singal said.
These combined efforts have been met with great applause from students, many of whom are hopeful to hear about the work the student teams and administration are putting into these areas.
