News

Ananya Sripathi named Secretary; Manasa Praveen Treasurer

CHELMSFORD, MA (July 20, 2021) – Rising senior Prateek Motagi was voted President of the Student Council at Chelmsford High School and rising senior Thomas Colpoys was voted Vice President as the CHS Student Council named its officers for the 2022-23 academic year.

Rising senior Ananya Sripathi was voted Secretary while Manasa Praveen, also a rising senior, was voted Treasurer. Sophomore-to-be Shalini Manchi was named Creative Designer while rising sophomores Lana Freije and Keya Upadhyay will serve as the student representatives to the School Committee.

The six student leaders will begin when students return on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Mr. Motagi, who served as the Student Council Treasurer as a sophomore and junior, is relishing the role. “In the beginning, I was, admittedly, slightly nervous about the large amount of responsibility that being President would bring,” he said. “However, I soon realized that I have this role for a reason, and I am confident in my ability to ensure that the Student Council will continue to succeed.

“Another factor that really played into my excitement was the wonderful team that I will have by my side,” Mr. Motagi added. “The rest of the board is extremely committed, and I am eagerly looking forward to the great things we will accomplish for the CHS community.”

Mr. Motagi, along with the rest of the Council, is hopeful to increase involvement and engagement in the Student Council, citing the Covid-19 outbreak as a major disruption to many clubs and causes at CHS. Expanding the annual Student Leadership Conference is also a priority.

“I hope to grow the Council body significantly so that we have more members to help with the various events that we plan,” he said. “For example, we had to reach out to outside volunteers within the school for help during the Leadership Conference. If we had a larger number of members, we would not need such outside assistance.”

The CHS Leadership Conference has attracted more than 100 students for two straight years. Both Mr. Motagi and Mr. Colpoys see enormous potential. “It has become one of the major events hosted by the Student Council,” Mr. Motagi noted. “I hope to make it integrated as a permanent occurrence.”

Mr. Colpoys has been a member for two years, helping plan and participate in events. Along with the expanding the Leadership Conference, he wants to urge students to get more involved with the Pep Rally.

“This could happen through expanding the games that were implemented this year, or by adding new features to the Pep Rally that we have not seen before at CHS,” he noted. “I was really excited when I first found out about being appointed as Student Council VP because it was something I had wanted to happen for a while, and because it gives me an opportunity to deal with issues in CHS and tackle them head-on.”

Ms. Sripathi was an active volunteer last year, particularly with the Leadership Conference, Teacher Appreciation Week and Toys for Tots. She looks forward to continuing the work of the previous administration in planning more events and increasing the Council’s presence.

“My hope is to collaborate with fellow officers as well as our club members to conduct some fundraising events, during Christmas time, midyears and finals, as well as keep updating Lions Live on our progress so more people will know about our club and what we do,” she said. “Something I would like to carry on from our predecessors is the level of dedication and organization they had for each event and how well tasks were allotted.”

The Chelmsford School Committee hosted its first meeting Tuesday, July 19.

About Chelmsford Public Schools

The Chelmsford Public School District provides all students with multiple pathways to optimize their own potential for academic excellence, leadership, and social and emotional wellness. The mission of the Chelmsford Public Schools is to educate, engage, prepare, and empower well-rounded and knowledgeable learners to PERSEVERE through challenges, demonstrate RESPECT and INTEGRITY in their words and actions, are DEDICATED to their community, and display EMPATHY as global citizens while discovering and pursuing their full potential. This PRIDE-driven culture enables all members of the school community to support the growth and development of students. For more information, please visit www.chelmsfordschools.org.