September 28, 2005 Today we narrowed down the list of possible fundraisers to a few ideas we would like to pursue. Here are some of the ideas we thought we could put the best effort into. Raising school supplies for students relocating to Houston public schools Andrew Ojeda suggested this in an email. Jason Ferree, who used to go to Houston public schools, called his old school and asked them about their situation with school supplies. Jason's old school alone had 1,000 students from New Orleans who still need supplies (notebooks, backpacks) for school, and they want any donations we could make. We discussed getting a list of items that the school needs from Jason's old school and raising school supplies. We could do a competition between the grades to see how many backpacks each grade could fill. We would still need to work out details with shipping (we talked about trying to get discounted shipping for the supplies) and get together a list of supplies that the students need. The community service committee would be behind this. Battle of the Bands fundraiser Last year Jenna Dodds had the idea to do this for tsunami relief. The class of '07 would be in charge of it since they've done some planning on it, but the whole upper school could help with planning. We would invite bands from area schools to a battle of the bands and raise money through admission prices. We would do it at a venue in Princeton. In order to do this, we'd need an outside organization to donate event insurance. Homecoming dance admission prices We discussed adding a little to the price of the homecoming admission ticket to raise money. We would pledge to donate a certain amount of money for everyone who came, motivating more people to come. Pledging money for touchdowns Adi Kulkarni thought that the class of '08 might get behind this. We would get people to sign up to donate a certain amount of money for each touchdown the football team made. This could also be modified for other sports. Having a bake sale The community service committee could be behind this as well. September 8, 2005 (Informal Council Summary) Today we narrowed down the list of possible fundraisers to a few ideas we would like to pursue. Here are some of the ideas we thought we could put the best effort into. - Raising school supplies for students relocating to Houston public schools - Andrew Ojeda suggested this in an email. Jason Ferree, who used to go to Houston public schools, called his old school and asked them about their situation with school supplies. Jason's old school alone had 1,000 students from New Orleans who still need supplies (notebooks, backpacks) for school, and they want any donations we could make. We discussed getting a list of items that the school needs from Jason's old school and raising school supplies. We could do a competition between the grades to see how many backpacks each grade could fill. We would still need to work out details with shipping (we talked about trying to get discounted shipping for the supplies) and get together a list of supplies that the students need. - The community service committee would be behind this. - Battle of the Bands fundraiser - Last year Jenna Dodds had the idea to do this for tsunami relief. The class of '07 would be in charge of it since they've done some planning on it, but the whole upper school could help with planning. We would invite bands from area schools to a battle of the bands and raise money through admission prices. We would do it at a venue in Princeton. In order to do this, we'd need an outside organization to donate event insurance. - Homecoming dance admission prices - We discussed adding a little to the price of the homecoming admission ticket to raise money. We would pledge to donate a certain amount of money for everyone who came, motivating more people to come. - Pledging money for touchdowns - Adi Kulkarni thought that the class of '08 might get behind this. We would get people to sign up to donate a certain amount of money for each touchdown the football team made. This could also be modified for other sports. - Having a bake sale - The community service committee could be behind this as well. November 3 and 7, 2005 (Informal Council Summary) Honor Code Commentary Meeting (11/03/05 during lunch) At the meeting, we discussed the future of the honor code once this trial year is up. The first topic that we discussed was the signature aspect of the Honor Code. We discussed two routes we can go after this year to implement the Honor Code. Eliminating the optional signature aspect One route would be to eliminate the signature aspect. The argument for this would be that there has been a misplaced emphasis on signing the code. We would be able to focus more on the content of the code rather than the act of signing it. Under this philosophy, the code would be a statement of PDS philosophy like the mission statement. This would make the Honor Code more of a part of the rules. This route would also include increased publicity for the Honor Code: more discussion by Council and in assemblies, and more publicity for the Honor Code, including hanging it up around school. A similar route to eliminating signatures altogether would be to make signatures mandatory. This would keep the ritual of signing. However, making signatures mandatory might seem to defeat the purpose of having signatures at all. Keeping optional signatures but tweaking the current signing system The argument for this position is that the Honor Code is, above all, a personal commitment, and will be the most effective if those who sign are cognizant of what they are doing and come to realize the commitment it entails. An ideal community under this system would be one in which those who signed the Honor Code tired to adhere to it and to convince other people to sign the Honor Code, but would not discriminate against those who did not sign the Honor Code. Signing the Honor Code would be an individual's affirmation of his/her commitment to the community and would therefore be undertaken when the individual felt ready. It would be PDS' goal to get students to the point where they can make this type of commitment to the community by the time they graduate. We looked at ways to tweak the signature aspect. One way would be to make signing the Honor Code more public, with the hope of making it more of a community ritual or a cool thing to do. One option was to provide a time during assembly for people who wanted to set an example of signing the Honor Code. Those who signed the Honor Code would encourage others to do it as well. Another tweak could be to make signing the Honor Code something to do once during high school rather than every year, with the hope that PDS would be able to get students to the point where they could sign it before graduate. Also... During the meeting, we also decided that Council should draft a document that explains the purpose of the honor code, what it means to be "actively honorable," and what we should expect of those who sign the code. This would be a "Commentary on the Honor Code" and would set the tone of further discussion. We also discussed the idea of the period between Thanksgiving and winter break as a period where those who are going to commit to the honor code would be encouraged to do so. This would be coupled with increased publicity for the Honor Code around school. So far, 63% of students have signed the Honor Code, so we will count again after winter break to see how many we can find. On Council on Wednesday, we will present the two options as well as the idea about the period between Thanksgiving and Winter Break. In the next Honor Code commentary meeting, we will try to draft the commentary document. School Improvement Project Meeting (11/07/05 4pm - 5pm) During the School Improvement Project meeting, we tried to decide on a good School Improvement Project that we could work on for the rest of the year. Most of the people attending the meeting felt that the best project to focus our efforts on would be to try to purchase air conditioning units for school classrooms. We came up with a list of reasons why this would be a project we would want to pursue: -Difficult to learn in warm classrooms -The air conditioning could be used for summer programs -The air conditioning will attract prospective students -Other schools have airconditioning -In use for important time of year Ð beginning of school and right before final exams -Could be used for up to two months -Since we have done a lot to help the community outside PDS, we need to do a project to help the student body We also discussed how we would raise money for this project. We know we are confined to a narrow set of fundraisers, those that don't interfere with class fundraisers or the capital campaign. One idea that was brought up is challenging students to match in $5 donations whatever we raised from a fundraiser. We discussed designs for air conditioning. Wall units and portable units seem like the most likely candidates; we would do whatever was the cheapest and easiest to install. We would also try to find people in the PDS community connected to the air conditioning business to solicit their expertise and perhaps cheap air conditioning. We also discussed a home-made airconditioning design, but we would have to build a prototype of it before we determined if it were reliable. We will present the ideas from the meeting to the full Council on Wednesday. November 3 and 7, 2005 (Informal Council Summary) Honor Code Commentary Meeting (11/03/05 during lunch) At the meeting, we discussed the future of the honor code once this trial year is up. The first topic that we discussed was the signature aspect of the Honor Code. We discussed two routes we can go after this year to implement the Honor Code. Eliminating the optional signature aspect One route would be to eliminate the signature aspect. The argument for this would be that there has been a misplaced emphasis on signing the code. We would be able to focus more on the content of the code rather than the act of signing it. Under this philosophy, the code would be a statement of PDS philosophy like the mission statement. This would make the Honor Code more of a part of the rules. This route would also include increased publicity for the Honor Code: more discussion by Council and in assemblies, and more publicity for the Honor Code, including hanging it up around school. A similar route to eliminating signatures altogether would be to make signatures mandatory. This would keep the ritual of signing. However, making signatures mandatory might seem to defeat the purpose of having signatures at all. Keeping optional signatures but tweaking the current signing system The argument for this position is that the Honor Code is, above all, a personal commitment, and will be the most effective if those who sign are cognizant of what they are doing and come to realize the commitment it entails. An ideal community under this system would be one in which those who signed the Honor Code tired to adhere to it and to convince other people to sign the Honor Code, but would not discriminate against those who did not sign the Honor Code. Signing the Honor Code would be an individual's affirmation of his/her commitment to the community and would therefore be undertaken when the individual felt ready. It would be PDS' goal to get students to the point where they can make this type of commitment to the community by the time they graduate. We looked at ways to tweak the signature aspect. One way would be to make signing the Honor Code more public, with the hope of making it more of a community ritual or a cool thing to do. One option was to provide a time during assembly for people who wanted to set an example of signing the Honor Code. Those who signed the Honor Code would encourage others to do it as well. Another tweak could be to make signing the Honor Code something to do once during high school rather than every year, with the hope that PDS would be able to get students to the point where they could sign it before graduate. Also... During the meeting, we also decided that Council should draft a document that explains the purpose of the honor code, what it means to be "actively honorable," and what we should expect of those who sign the code. This would be a "Commentary on the Honor Code" and would set the tone of further discussion. We also discussed the idea of the period between Thanksgiving and winter break as a period where those who are going to commit to the honor code would be encouraged to do so. This would be coupled with increased publicity for the Honor Code around school. So far, 63% of students have signed the Honor Code, so we will count again after winter break to see how many we can find. On Council on Wednesday, we will present the two options as well as the idea about the period between Thanksgiving and Winter Break. In the next Honor Code commentary meeting, we will try to draft the commentary document. School Improvement Project Meeting (11/07/05 4pm - 5pm) During the School Improvement Project meeting, we tried to decide on a good School Improvement Project that we could work on for the rest of the year. Most of the people attending the meeting felt that the best project to focus our efforts on would be to try to purchase air conditioning units for school classrooms. We came up with a list of reasons why this would be a project we would want to pursue: -Difficult to learn in warm classrooms -The air conditioning could be used for summer programs -The air conditioning will attract prospective students -Other schools have airconditioning -In use for important time of year Ð beginning of school and right before final exams -Could be used for up to two months -Since we have done a lot to help the community outside PDS, we need to do a project to help the student body We also discussed how we would raise money for this project. We know we are confined to a narrow set of fundraisers, those that don't interfere with class fundraisers or the capital campaign. One idea that was brought up is challenging students to match in $5 donations whatever we raised from a fundraiser. We discussed designs for air conditioning. Wall units and portable units seem like the most likely candidates; we would do whatever was the cheapest and easiest to install. We would also try to find people in the PDS community connected to the air conditioning business to solicit their expertise and perhaps cheap air conditioning. We also discussed a home-made airconditioning design, but we would have to build a prototype of it before we determined if it were reliable. We will present the ideas from the meeting to the full Council on Wednesday. January 4, 2006 Agenda - 11:00 – 11:10: Card games proposal voting - 11:10 – 11:20: Recycling resolution discussion and voting - 11:20 – 11:30: Honor Code referendum options discussion and possible voting - 11:30 – 11:40: Student lounge idea discussion - 11:40 – 11:43 (if we have extra time): Bumper stickers idea discussion Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - Dan D'Argenio - Jan Ferree - Mendy Fisch - Rebecca Freedholm - Charlie Hamlin - Adi Kulkarni - Sarah Latham - Harvey Lee - CJ Martino - Juan Carlos Melendez - Matt Oresky - Dan Rathauser - George Sanderson - Alicia Siani - Bill Stoltzfus - Andrea Spector - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Ben Fisch - Kalla Gervasio Mendy: This is the last council that Mr. Lee will attend before he goes on sabbatical. Council applauds. Mendy: First, I want us to vote on the Card Games proposal. Card Games in the Theater Lobby and Shepherd Commons Because non-gambling card games are intellectually stimulating, as are unforbidden games such as chess, and are already allowed in classrooms and the campus center, Council resolves to support the removal of all rules forbidding non-gambling card-playing from the Theater Lobby and Shepherd Commons. Mr. Stoltzfus: Suppose that this is a proposal for food. Since it is already allowed in the campus center, why not other places? It seems to me that there is a time and place for all the games. I intend to vote against this resolution, because I do not see the compelling argument for it. Mendy: I think that we can vote now. While the campus center is a good place for eating, it may not be the best place for other games. Even if we pass this, it might not be the school policy. 15 for, 4 against, 1 abstention Mendy: The resolution passes. Recycling Resolution Community Council believes that making it easier for students to recycle will lead to increased recycling at PDS. As such, Council: • Applauds the EnAct club’s effort to purchase recycling stations • Encourages the administration to make sure that there is one trash receptacle and one recycling receptacle in each classroom. Council also believes that the most effective way to increase recycling at PDS is to promote recycling awareness among students. This is also the area in which Council would be able to contribute the most. In order to show our support for the EnAct club’s efforts and to encourage students to recycle, Council resolves to: • Donate $400 towards EnAct’s effort to buy trash receptacles • Make an announcement explaining that we are giving this money to EnAct, explaining why we are doing it, and explaining why we believe recycling is important • Work with the EnAct club on future projects that involve influencing student actions. Mendy: We want to show our support. If this resolution passed, we would make a presentation explaining the resolution and why we feel that it is important. Mr. Lee: I would like to see the language be very specific about what the money is going toward -- not just trash receptacles. Dan D’Argenio: It is compelling to vote for this resolution because recycling is good, but I have serious doubts about how much these new trash receptacles will actually help solve the problem. We have no idea how much the recycling problem will be helped after we donate the money. Mendy: I think that the point behind this resolution is to show our support of recycling. Whether it works or not depends on whether the students have it in their conscience to recycle. We want to help EnAct, but we do not want to take over. It is hard to strike a balance. Mr. Stoltzfus: There needs to be something more than just giving $400. We should not just throw money at the issue. Mendy: I think that this resolution is more about the statement than the money. This money is going to say that we support EnAct’s goals and that we want to make students more aware of recycling. Andy Babick: The fact is that we already have receptacles. We need to figure out how to make people recycle. I agree with Mr. Stoltzfus that throwing money at this problem is not the solution. Mr. Sanderson: With regard to the money issue, we can say to EnAct that we will give you $400 if you raise $400 by the end of February. Mr. Lee: I'd like to see this more organized. Mendy: By the next Council, we will come up with a more comprehensive plan that we will present to Council. Dan D’Argenio: I think that buying these new trash cans is one of the most expensive ways to fix the problem. We should be more focused on preventing contamination. Mendy: 
Honor Code Referendum options Thoughts: • If we go with a yes or no vote on the Honor Code, we risk having people vote no to the Honor Code. If that happens, what would we do? • The biggest advantage of the yes or no vote is that if the majority express support for the Honor Code, that is a resounding statement of student commitment to the Code and what it entails, and gives us momentum going forward with the Code • A yes or no vote might be more fair to students • Each of the three sub-options represents a slightly different philosophy behind the Honor Code. If we end up choosing one of the three sub-options, a committee should write (and Council should approve) a statement of philosophy for the Honor Code that is consistent with the option that is passed. • If the third sub-option passes “The Honor Code should not require signatures but rather should be a statement of PDS philosophy that applies to all students,” we would probably need to take another look at the language of the Honor Code and tweak it to fit this vision • If any option passes that requires major revision of the Honor Code (the Honor Code being voted down or the no signatures option), the revision of the Honor Code would likely need to be carried into the next Council administration (which should probably finish it up in the spring). • I’m using Honor Code and Code of Honor interchangeably, but the ballot can say whatever we want (my feeling is that Code of Honor looks good for the title on top of the document, but it can colloquially be referred to as the Honor Code). No direct vote on the Honor Code ballot I believe (check one): ___ The Honor Code should be a document that students are encouraged to sign; signatures will be optional ___ The Honor Code should be a document all PDS students should be required to sign ___ The Honor Code should not require signatures but rather should be a statement of PDS philosophy that applies to all students A choice would need a majority of votes in order to win, and we would hold a second round of voting if this does not happen. Yes or no vote on the Honor Code Please choose one of the following two options: ___ I do not believe that PDS should have an Honor Code (If you choose this option, DO NOT continue down this form) ___ I believe that PDS should have an Honor Code. (If you choose to this option, continue below) If you chose the SECOND OPTION, please choose one of the following three options: ___ The Honor Code should be a document that students are encouraged to sign; signatures will be optional ___ The Honor Code should be a document all PDS students should be required to sign ___ The Honor Code should not require signatures but rather should be a statement of PDS philosophy that applies to all students If the no Honor Code option received a majority, voting would be over (and we would panic) If the second option received a majority of votes AND one of the three sub-options received a majority of TOTAL votes, voting would be over (and we would figure out how to implement the majority option). If the second option received a majority but none of the sub-options received a majority of the total votes, we would have a second round of voting with just the three sub-options. One of those options would then need a majority in order to win. (So there is the possibility of having three rounds of voting.) Mendy: Last Council, I presented these different options. We need to write a statement of philosophy based on the option that passes. We also need to decide whether this method of voting is good. CJ Martino: I don't think that a yes/no vote for the Honor Code is necessary, but I think that the sub-options are good. Hugh Wynne: I feel that a tremendous number of students did not want the Honor Code. Ben Fisch: The Honor Code benefits those who want it, but it doesn’t affect those who don't want it. Mr. Lee: This was presented at the end of last year as a community vote. There are a lot of people who signed it because they did not want the hassle of not signing it. I think that we need to have a formal vote. Mr. Stoltzfus: If the Honor Code gets shot down, it would be because the students believe that honor comes from within. Mr. Sanderson: You can combine the two original questions to have one question with four options. CJ Martino: We need to look at how you ask about the Honor Code. Dan D’Argenio: The least loaded way of asking whether you want an Honor Code or not is asking directly. Mendy: Let’s vote on whether we should have a 4-option ballot or the 3-option ballot. If there is no majority, then there would be a run-off. All vote for the 4-option ballot. Mendy: We'll come back to you with that ballot. Finally, we will talk about creating a student lounge area. Student lounge idea Options: • The space between the Theater Lobby and the Teacher Lounge (outside) • Back of the campus center (there are noisy kids there sometimes) • Mezzanine (administration expressed concern students might not be able to be watched up there) • If we feel this is a good goal to pursue, we should have a meeting next week for those who are interested to think about it more. • If we don’t feel this is a good goal, we should have a meeting next week for those who are interested to discuss a final thing to put on our agenda. Mendy: We would want to improve access to the outdoor space. It would only be for days with nice weather. Adi Kulkarni: What is our vision for the student lounge? Would there be a TV or sofas? Mendy: I don't think there would be a TV. It would be a space for games and hanging out. Mr. Tucker: The outdoor courtyard is not well used. Dan D’Argenio: It is dirty and cold outside and there are bugs. Andy Babick: I don't think the outdoor lounge is the solution because it is only for fair weather. We need a good place to put comfortable seating. Mendy: Thank you very much for coming. Winter agenda (tentative): Finish vending machine project
Hold honor code referendum
Create student or senior lounge area
Develop prototype for Project Deep Freeze
Give out bumper stickers to all students January 18, 2006 Agenda - 11:00 – 11:25: Discussion and voting on honor code referendum - 11:25 – 11:40: Update on recycling meeting last week, discussion of 4th draft of recycling resolution, and voting - 11:40-11:43: Introduction of window sticker resolution Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - Shira Concool - Mendy Fisch - Judy Fox - Rebecca Freedholm - Becky Gallagher - Adi Kulkarni - Sarah Latham - CJ Martino - Juan Carlos Melendez - Matt Oresky - Dan Rathauser - Alicia Siani - Seth Stein - Bill Stoltzfus - Andrea Spector - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Kalla Gervasio - Aditi Juneja Mendy:
Ballot Options for Honor Code referendum The four-option poll: Please Choose One of the following options
___ I do not believe that PDS should have an Honor Code ___ The Honor Code should be a document that students are encouraged to sign; signatures will be optional ___ The Honor Code should be a document all PDS students should be required to sign ___ The Honor Code should not require signatures but rather should be a statement of PDS philosophy that applies to all students The two-part poll: Please choose one of the following two options: ___ I do not believe that PDS should have an Honor Code (If you choose this option, DO NOT continue down this form) ___ I believe that PDS should have an Honor Code. (If you choose to this option, continue below) If you chose the SECOND OPTION, please choose one of the following three options: ___ The Honor Code should be a document that students are encouraged to sign; signatures will be optional ___ The Honor Code should be a document all PDS students should be required to sign ___ The Honor Code should not require signatures but rather should be a statement of PDS philosophy that applies to all students Preliminary Survey Results 23 people responded, 22/23 answers were usable. (One person said his position was in between.) Final tally: Option 1, No code: 4 18%
Option 2, Optional signature: 4 18%
Option 3, required signature: 2 9%
Option 4, Broad statement: 12 55% Shira Concool: I think that we should use the four option poll. There are enough choices in the four options. CJ Martino: I heard that people think the second ballot is more confusing. Hugh Wynne: We will have two elections, unless one of these options gets a majority. Mr. Stoltzfus: If you are against the Honor Code and the Honor Code passes, you should still be able to have a say in the process of choosing the Honor Code. CJ Martino: I think that we should simplify the process into one election. People who do not want the Honor Code should be able to put input into how it will be implemented. We should have one part that asks whether you want the Honor Code or not, and another part that asks you to choose which Honor Code choice is the best. Mendy: Let’s vote on whether we should have a two part poll, a 4-option poll, or CJ's option? All vote for CJ's option. Mendy: CJ's option passes. Everyone who can vote in Upper School elections can vote for the Honor Code. If one option does not receive a majority, then we would have a run-off election. Adi Kulkarni: Only the people who actually sign the Honor Code should be able to vote. Mendy: There are some teachers who don't have advisees, but we could decide whether they can vote later. Dr. Fox: I think that teachers should be able to vote whether they have advisees or not. Mendy: We will move on to recycling. Last week, we had draft three of the recycling resolution. We had a meeting with EnAct and members of the administration. I hope that we have perfected this resolution. Notes From Recycling Meeting -The goal was to find out what the EnAct club and the administration have been doing so far and to determine a course of action for Council. EnAct's plan • Hold recycling assemblies in three divisions (Already held Upper School assembly) • Post informational recycling signs in bathrooms • Write article for Spokesman (this was done by Becky Gallagher) • Audit of Upper and Middle School and public spaces • Audit of classrooms to determine if there is a recycling and trash receptacle in each classroom -- (already done but some cans have been moved around) • Raise money to buy recycling stations Actions administration will take • Move big cans so that recycling cans and other cans are touching • Spraypaint recycling cans outside yellow • Stencil "recycling" on existing recycling cans, and make sure it is clear which cans are recycling and which are not • Improve recycling for events with plastic water bottles Plan for Council EnAct and the administration agreed to a 3-way split on the purchase of the first recycling station with Council. We would measure the effectiveness of this station by looking at how often is contaminated and how much recycling it receives. If it proves to be a good solution, we could have future collaboration on purchasing more recycling stations. The station could go in either the theater lobby or Shepherd Commons. The station could be purchased within a few weeks. This would cost Council about $250. We would announce our support for the recycling initiative during announcements, and urge students to recycle and use the recycling station. Class representatives would speak with students about recycling during class meeting, explain how to use the recycling station and the existing recycling cans, and encourage students to recycle. After the initial announcements, class representatives would remind students to recycle and make announcements about the success/not success of the recycling stations. Also raised at the meeting • The possibility of sponsoring a lobby cleanup day as a visible reminder to students to recycle and throw away garbage • Establishing lobby cleanup duty, similar to lunch duty, which would make an advisee group responsible for cleaning up the lobby at the end of the day and recycling what needs to be recycled • Not having custodial services clean up the lobbies for a week Idea behind helping facilitate purchase The idea behind it is to facilitate purchasing one station to see if it is a solution or not and to show support for recycling. There is no real financial disincentive; it would only cost $250. If we don't support the resolution, it will be a long time before the first station is purchased. If we purchase the first station now and it is successful, there will likely be more support for buying more stations on the part of the administration, and it will be easier for EnAct to raise more money. I know there are doubts about the potential of the recycling station to curb the problem, but we can't know until we try, and in this case, it is pretty cheap for us to try. Recycling Bin Contamination Resolution (Draft 4) Community Council realizes that the contamination of recycling receptacles is a problem at PDS, and that over 80% of recycling receptacles at PDS are contaminated. In order to solve this problem, we realize that we need to both make it easier for students to recycle and to increase student awareness about recycling. The EnAct club and the administration have already pledged to take certain steps (which are described below) to help solve this problem. Since the EnAct Club and the administration have agreed to a three-way split with Council on the purchase of one recycling station, we resolve to pay one-third of the cost of the recycling station (about $250). This will allow us to start experimenting with the recycling station in the next two-three weeks to see if the recycling station does actually prevent recycling contamination. If the first recycling station is successful, we can decide to work with EnAct and the administration to purchase more stations. We also direct class representatives to explain how to use the new recycling station and existing recycling cans during the class meeting after the station arrives. After the initial announcement, class representatives should continue to remind students in their classes to recycle and to make announcements about the success or failure of the recycling station. Community Council also understands that the administration has agreed to take these actions with regards to recycling: • Move big cans so that recycling cans and trash cans are touching • Spraypaint recycling cans outside yellow • Stencil "recycling" on existing recycling cans, and make sure it is clear which cans are recycling and which are not • Improve recycling for events with plastic water bottles Finally, we understand that the EnAct club has agreed to take or has taken these actions: • Hold recycling assemblies in three divisions • Post informational recycling signs in bathrooms • Write an article for the Spokesman • Audit classrooms to determine if there is a recycling and trash receptacle in each classroom • Raise money to buy recycling stations if the experimental station is a success Shira Concool: We are very happy with the resolution. CJ Martino: I like the way this worked out. It lays out an actual plan, instead of saying that we will just support them. Alicia Siani: How do we measure the success of this resolution? Seth Stein: The custodial staff can get a general idea. Becky Gallagher: 80% of recycling receptacles are contaminated. It will be clear whether our plan works. The problem is that it takes one piece of trash to contaminate an entire receptacle. Ms. Latham: The new receptacles can only be placed in a few parts in the school. People are still going to be using the recycling bins closest to them. Shira Concool: We will have recycling stations in areas like Shepard Commons and the theater lobby. Adi Kulkarni: We could post what goes in recycling bins all over the school. That would help. Seth Stein: As for student awareness, we have done an Upper School assembly and we will do one for the middle and lower schools. Mendy: Let's take a vote on the Recycling Bin Contamination Resolution. All vote for the Recycling Bin Contamination Resolution. Mendy: This resolution passes. Dan Rathauser: Window Sticker Resolution
Since last year, Community Council has tried to develop ways to promote school pride and unity. A number of the things which Council has initiated and/or accomplished, which work towards this goal, include the school Honor Code, reintroduction of Blue & White Day, Battle of the Bands, and all-school community service drives (to benefit the victims of the tsunami, earthquake in India and Pakistan, and victims of Katrina). In the coming weeks Council resolves to purchase “Princeton Day School” window stickers for every student in the Upper School. Window stickers would serve as one easy and affordable way for our school community to show school spirit. Additionally, the stickers would serve as a way of getting the school's name out into the larger community, and concurrently show prospective students that PDS pride extends beyond our campus. Council will work with the PDS Admissions Office to purchase a sticker for every current upper school student, and every student accepted to PDS. We commit $100-$200 (amount still unknown) to fulfill this effort. In addition, we encourage the Admissions Office to send stickers to accepted students each year. Mendy: This afternoon, we are having a meeting to discuss possible locations for the student lounge. One of the spaces we were thinking about is the outside space in back of the teacher's lounge. Does anyone have any other ideas? Aditi Juneja: How would the lounge be used differently from Theater Lobby/Shepard Commons? Mendy: It would be a place for students to hang out and it would have less restrictions. The theater lobby and Shepard Commons are supposed to be used mostly for studying. Dr. Fox: Use the mission of the school as the lens through which you view this idea. How does this contribute to the mission of our school? CJ Martino: Shepard Commons and the theater lobby would become quieter spaces if there were a student lounge. Mendy: School teaches us to socialize and interact with other people. The student lounge would be a good place for socializing. Hugh Wynne: Most people sit in the theater lobby and Shepard Commons because they like it there. Why don't we make the theater lobby and Shepard Commons better places to stay? I would consider it a way to unify the school and to make the school a better place. I don't think that we need another place for students to sit around. Mr. Tucker: Do we want a lounge where we can congregate a lot of people or should we make smaller, nicer areas for people to sit? Part of the challenge is creating our own space. Mendy: Thank you for coming. January 25, 2006 Agenda - 11:00-11:10: Discussion of Honor Code referendum. Please sign up for a supervision slot after the meeting. - 11:10-11:20: Discussion of Window Sticker Resolution and possible voting - 11:20-11:30: Discussion of lounge idea and decision on what goals we want to pursue - 11:30-11:40: Start thinking about plan for portable cooling units (funding and system for moving the units) Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - Dan D’Argenio - Jan Ferree - Mendy Fisch - Rebecca Freedholm - Aditya Kulkarni - Sarah Latham - CJ Martino - Matt Oresky - Dan Rathauser - Alicia Siani - Bill Stoltzfus - Andrea Spector - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Ben Fisch - Judy Fox Mendy: We need people to sign up for time slots to supervise the voting. I would encourage people to vote for the Honor Code. We have been working on the Honor Code for four years. If it fails, then we will not have a code. Time slots for Thursday: • First Period • Second Period • Third Period • Fourth Period – Mendy (but would like company) • Fifth Period - Mendy • Lunch - Mendy • Sixth Period • Seventh Period Mr. Stoltzfus: I can do first period. Mr. Tucker: I can do third period. Mendy: You can also sign up after Council. Next, we want to discuss the Window Sticker resolution. Window Sticker Resolution Since last year, Community Council has tried to develop ways to promote school pride and unity. A number of the things which Council has initiated and/or accomplished, which work towards this goal, include the school Honor Code, reintroduction of Blue & White Day, Battle of the Bands, and all-school community service drives (to benefit the victims of the tsunami, earthquake in India and Pakistan, and victims of Katrina). In the coming weeks Council resolves to purchase “Princeton Day School” window stickers for every student in the Upper School. Window stickers would serve as one easy and affordable way for our school community to show school spirit. Additionally, the stickers would serve as a way of getting the school's name out into the larger community, and concurrently show prospective students that PDS pride extends beyond our campus. Council will work with the PDS Admissions Office to purchase a sticker for every current upper school student, and every student accepted to PDS. We commit $300 (amount still unknown) to fulfill this effort. In addition, we encourage the Admissions Office to send stickers to accepted students each year. Dan D'Argenio: Who decides what exactly goes on the sticker? Dan Rathauser: The Admissions Office decides. It has Princeton on the first line and Day School on the second line. I'll post the proof of the decal on Council Forum. Hugh Wynne: Hopefully this will promote school spirit. Dan Rathauser: The Admissions Office has already placed the order. Mr. Stoltzfus: I think that we should show unity by supporting the Admissions Office. I move we vote. The Window Sticker Resolution passes unanimously. Mendy: Last week, we had a meeting about the student lounge. Here is what we came up with: Lounge Ideas • We have to decide what we want to pursue in terms of the lounge. The ideas we came up with at the lounge meeting were: • In the teacher mailroom, and move the mailroom to the copy room • In the mezzanine of the campus center • Put more comfortable furniture in the Theater Lobby • In a classroom • In the courtyard outside behind the teacher mailroom I’ve been advised that taking over the teacher mailroom, the mezzanine of the campus center, or a classroom would be pretty impractical. Unless we can think of another plan, the two plans we would be most likely to accomplish would be putting more comfortable furniture in the Theater Lobby or elsewhere in the school, and making the courtyard an outdoor lounge during nice weather. CJ Martino: I suggest putting more comfortable things in the Theater Lobby. An outdoor space is not as useful as an indoor space. Mr. Stoltzfus: It was my idea to have the student lounge in the mailroom and move the mailroom to the copy room. I rarely see teachers in there. Ms. Latham: I would argue that the space is used. There are a lot of people who use the space. I also don't see the advantage of having the student lounge be an unchaperoned space in the mailroom. Andy Babick: It is a centralized space and teachers walk past it a lot. Mendy Fisch: We are less likely to accomplish this idea than other ideas. Ms. Latham: It is also very small -- you are not really serving the school by using that space. Dan D'Argenio: Right now, we do not have many comfortable places to sit. Andy Babick: I am concerned about how the school will look if we get more sofas. The eighth grade lounge has a couch and it is used so much that it looks very shabby. Mendy: The chairs in the lobby are very nice. Dan D'Argenio: People will fight over nice chairs. Mr. Tucker: Think not just about the Theater Lobby and Shepard Commons, but about other areas. We do have space. Andy Babick: I like the idea of putting more chairs in the space near the walrus and the hippo. You could disperse the crowd in Shepard Commons and the Theater Lobby. Ms. Latham: The majority of kids hang out in Shepard Commons in the ninth and tenth grades and the Theater Lobby in the eleventh and twelfth grades. Many students believe that those areas are where they are supposed to hang out. We have other spaces that people do not use. Andy Babick: I do see people sitting outside the walrus more often. That area is pretty utilized. Other spaces, like the tables and chairs outside Mr. Sanderson's room, are not very appealing. The space outside Mr. Sanderson's room seems like a place to do homework. Mr. Stoltzfus: Students in groups sit in certain spots. There is a problem with asking people to change where they sit. Dan D'Argenio: If you make a comfortable mini-lounge area somewhere, chances are that some people will gravitate toward that area because it is comfortable. The less comfortable areas will not be as popular. Dr. Fox: In a year and a half, we will have a huge addition to the school that will have comfortable spaces. I would caution us not to invest too much money or energy in this idea, since the school is now in a state of flux. We can experiment with some chairs and tables. Hugh: Our grade tends to sit at specific tables. If we create more areas for students to sit, then the groups will go farther away, and cliques will form. Mendy: Let's take a vote on how we want to proceed. • mail room: 2 • mini lounges (setups of 2 tables and a chair placed around the school): 14 • outside: 2 • comfortable furniture (replacing benches with chairs): 9 There will be a runoff election between mini lounges and comfortable furniture. Joe Yellin: Should class representatives talk to their grades first? Mendy: Yes. We'll decide on the student lounge ideas at the next Council meeting. We had more on the agenda, but we will discuss it later. February 15, 2006 Agenda 10:55-11:00: Sign letters thanking people who helped with Battle of the Bands (Arts Council, Darren Sussman, and David Newton) 11:00-11:20: Introduction of new Honor Code with explanation of Honor Code; voting on ways to maintain the code's relevancy in the future 11:20-11:35: Discussion of lounge locations and voting on resolution, or how to proceed next 11:35-11:45: Description of portable cooling unit prototype Voting Members Dan D'Argenio Mendy Fisch Rebecca Freedholm Charlie Hamlin Aditya Kulkarni Sarah Latham Brielle Manley Juan Carlos Melendez-Torres Matt Oresky Dan Rathauser George Sanderson Alicia Siani Andrea Spector Bill Stoltzfus Amy Straus Hugh Wynne Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Judy Fox Kalla Gervasio Mendy: I am passing around letters for the Battle of the Bands, which thank the people who helped us. Please sign them. Steps to maintain Honor Code's relevancy (since these aren't technically "resolutions," and we've discussed them before, we could vote them now if we want) -Require advisees to read/discuss the Honor Code at the first advisee meeting each year -Require the Community Council president to hold a discussion about the Honor Code each year, during assembly or announcements -Send the Honor Code to prospective students to introduce them to our community's Code -Print the Honor Code on lunch cards -Hang up a plaque with the Honor Code on it, so that visitors will see it and students will be reminded of it On the next page is the revised Honor Code, with draft explanation. We will vote on this revised code in the next Council. The idea would be for the first explanation paragraph to always accompany the code, with the history paragraph being printed wherever there is room, such as in the Student Handbook. Princeton Day School Code of Honor To learn honorably is to live honorably. In order to foster the development of our community of learners, I will: uphold personal and academic integrity, respect myself and others, act responsibly and lead by example, be honest in my own work, and embrace the values expressed in this code. The purpose of the PDS Code of Honor is to set a standard of integrity, respect and compassion for members of our upper school community. When we respect other people and their work, and when we act in the belief that we should treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated, then we build our community. The Code is a statement of Upper School philosophy that complements PDS's Statement of Philosophy and Mission Statement. Echoing the Mission Statement, Community Council's goal in creating the Code is to learn to "act knowledgeably, to share generously, and to contribute meaningfully" both at PDS and beyond. Students and faculty, whether they are part of the community or entering it, should attempt to live by the Code. Members of Community Council, charged with the responsibility of implementing the Code, are expected to promote the Code and its standards. Members of the faculty, as educators inside and outside the classroom, share the responsibility of helping students learn how to uphold the values of the Code. Each year, the president of Community Council will lead a community-wide discussion of the Code, after which advisors will discuss the Code with their advisees. A Brief History of the Honor Code: Princeton Day School has had some kind of an honor code since its founding in 1965. The original "Honor System," existed until 1995. In the fall of each year, students signed the following pledge: "I understand the Honor System at Princeton Day School. I accept my responsibility to uphold it," and agreed to hold each other accountable for infractions such as lying, cheating, stealing, and plagiarism. Faced with increasing student reluctance to monitor peer behavior, Council and the US Faculty voted to replace the Honor System with the Declaration of Academic and Personal Integrity in the 1995-1996 school year. The Declaration defined academic and personal integrity and asserted that trust was an "...on-going process; it is the outcome, not a prerequisite for, the making of a community." Students signed the Declaration, acknowledging only that they had read the document. In 2003, Council began investigating the reinstatement of an honor code, wanting to create a document that could become a more integral part of Upper School life than the Declaration. The authors of the present Code hope that because of its origins within the student body, its clarity, and Council's commitment to maintaining its relevancy, the Code will assume this integral status within the community. This Code was written and approved by Community Council in 2004 and 2005, and adopted as a statement of Upper School philosophy in a school-wide referendum in 2006. What do you think about the Honor Code? Brielle Manley: Can you put just the top of the Honor Code on the lunch card: to learn honorably is to live honorably? Ms. Latham: We can also include more of the Honor Code if we use the back of the lunch card. Mendy: Who thinks we should require advisees to discuss the Honor Code at the first advisory meeting of the next school year? All raise their hands. Mendy: How about the president of Community Council discussing the Honor Code at an assembly in the beginning of the year? Some raise their hands. Dan D'Argenio: The Honor Code is a pretty simple document. We do not need to have an entire assembly for that. Ms. Latham: I agree that everyone is aware of the Honor Code now. Two years from now, half the Upper School will be new. The head of Community Council usually speaks up at the first assembly of the year. The president of Council can explain during the opening assembly that we have a Code of Honor. Mendy: Who wants the Council president to discuss the Honor Code at the opening assembly? Most raise their hands. Mendy: How about putting the Honor Code on the lunch cards? Aditya Kulkarni: What part of the Honor Code would we fit on the lunch card? Mendy: As much as we can fit. We can always take the Honor Code off for the next year if people get annoyed or distracted by it. Who wants it to be on the lunch cards? Most raise their hands. Mendy: Should we have a plaque with the Honor Code? Amy Strauss: If we put the two paragraphs on the plaque, would they distract from what is actually important? Aditya Kulkarni: I feel a plaque makes the Honor Code permanent. What if we want to amend the Honor Code? Mendy: If you want to amend the Honor Code, then you can get a new plaque. Ms. Latham: Should we first discuss if the Honor Code should be posted? All vote that the Honor Code should be posted in the school. Juan Carlos Melendez: Can we edit the last sentence of the second paragraph? Dan D'Argenio: It seems like a statement about the Honor Code that should not be in the Honor Code itself. Mendy: We can just remember that the President of the Honor Code should lead a discussion at the beginning of each year. Dan D'Argenio: We don't need the second paragraph. Mendy: If we do not include the second paragraph, how will people seeing this document five years from now know what they are supposed to do with it? Dan D'Argenio: Can we move it to the description section? Mendy: I'll post a revision. Dr. Fox: I like it how it is now. I think that the narrative shows how much thought was put into the Honor Code. Dan D'Argenio: I don't like it. The last paragraph is that the Honor Code says to support the Honor Code, while we know that 30% of the school does not support it. I think that instead of just a history, there should be: "A Description and History of the Honor Code." Ms. Latham: The Honor Code is part of the school. The school expects people to live by this standard. Mendy: I could post a different version with the second paragraph in the description. We can vote on the two versions next week. Mr. Sanderson: In the last paragraph, we could also use a word less ambiguous than promote, such as embrace. Mendy: Lounges We could combine the idea of putting comfy furniture in Shepherd Commons and the Theater Lobby and creating mini lounges by creating a series of mini lounges, and placing one mini lounge in the Theater Lobby and one in Shepherd Commons. I think that the best way to get started on the lounges idea would be to try to create one lounge first. Perhaps the best place to do this would be in the "sunrise sunset" hallway, where there is a big corner under the 20-year teacher plaques. If we could create this by the end of Spring Break, we would have ample time to test it out for the rest of the year. I'm not sure whether we would be able to make the test lounge during spring break or how much money we would need to pay, although Mr. Tucker agreed to speak with Mrs. Stadulis to find this out for us. Since we don't have any Council meetings before break, we would need to decide whether or not we are building the lounge now, and then decide later whether we want to raise money to cover the cost. So we could vote on this line: In order to test out the lounge concept, we will begin by creating a lounge in the "sunrise sunset" hallway, with the goal of installing this lounge by the end of spring break if possible. And I suppose we'll have to hold off voting on this whole resolution until our next meeting, after Spring Break: Lounges Resolution In order to make PDS a better place to sit in between classes, to utilize unused space, to alleviate crowding in the Theater Lobby and the Shepherd Commons, and to make hallways and common areas look more inviting to students and to visitors, Council resolves to build mini-lounges around the school. In order to test out the lounge concept, we resolve to begin by creating a lounge in the "sunrise sunset" hallway. If this test is successful, our eventual goal is to create lounges in as many of the following locations as possible: --In the hallway between Mr. Sanderson and Mrs. Bencivengo's office (on Mrs. Becivengo's side because there are no coat hooks there) --In the Theater Lobby, on the junior side under the TV --In the Theater lobby, on the senior side under the TV --In the alcove to the right of the planetarium --In the "sunrise sunset" hallway under the 20-year plaques --In the left back corner of Shepherd commons (instead of one bench) --In the corner of hallway between math wing and theater lobby (there are benches there now) Dan D'Argenio: I didn't think our idea was to move people around, but to make places where people sit now nicer. Mr. Sanderson: The benefit of moving people around is that there are certain places of the school that are overutilized, such as Shepard Commons. One of our goals is to find spaces that are underutilized, and move people from the overutilized spaces to the underutilized spaces. Hugh Wynne: What about putting benches into the sunrise sunset area? Juan Carlos Melendez: Will the new construction render the new spaces obsolete? Dan D'Argenio: Furniture is mobile. Matt Oresky: I would suggest putting nice furniture in places where people already spend time. Mendy: We want to test whether people will move if we put furniture in other places. Dan D'Argenio: A lot of the seniors will not be here soon, which might affect the test. Ms. Latham: If the seniors are out of the Theater Lobby, then maybe the sophomores will migrate to the sunrise sunset hallway. We added another bench outside Ms. Bencivengo's office and Mr. Sanderson's office. Mendy: Who is in favor of putting a mini-lounge in the sunrise sunset hallway and, if this does not work, moving it to a different space? All vote in favor of this. Mendy: We will try to get this done by the end of Spring Break. We cannot use Project Deep Freeze anytime soon, but it could maybe be used in the future. Room coolers Note: Before room coolers could be instated in classrooms, they would need to be approved for use by Mr. Storey, who is busy now with the construction. I've been informed that these devices cannot be implemented now. However, the option is on the table if these devices are approved for use in the future. The room cooler that's here is a prototype designed by Project Deep Freeze. We are working on perfecting this prototype so that it is an efficient room cooler. You can see it after Council, or you can ask me, Kevin Suyo, or Trevor Hummel (who couldn't be here due to fencing) to show it to you at your leisure. I am planning to make the cooler be able to cool better/more efficiently as part of my senior project. How it works: The cooler is filled with ice. The ice water is pumped through the radiator in front of the fan. The radiator transfers the heat from the air into the water, which flows back into the cooler. In tests, we have been able to cool the air around the radiator by 5 degrees F. Ideally, we would like the air to be cooled by up to 10 degrees F. These could probably hold enough ice to cool a room by 10 degrees F for an hour, but teachers could reserve them for their most important period. Why this design works for PDS: The reason this design is necessary is that we need a room cooler that doesn't use much power and that does not need a hose to go through the windows. The older PDS classrooms cannot provide more than 6-7 amps of power each, since 4 or so of them are usually on the same circuit. On top of all this, PDS classrooms have a ventilation system that sucks in air from immediately outside the classroom, which would mean that the hot air vented by a commercial AC would be sucked back into the room. A commercial air conditioner rated for the size of a classroom takes 10-11 amps, while our prototype only takes 2.3 amps. In addition, the prototype does not require a hose to vent the heat, as the heat is transferred to the ice. This also means that it does not spew hot air outside which would be sucked back into the room. Alicia Siani: How noisy is it? Mendy: It does make a noise, which could be an issue with some teachers. Meeting adjourned. Agenda - 10:55-11:10: Vote on format of Honor Code - 1:10-11:25: Problems with vending machine - 11:25-11:35: Student areas (lounges) resolution voting - 11:35-11:40: Introduce "Laptops in Library" resolution - 11:40-11:43: Briefly look at Honor Code plaque design - 11:43-11:45: Swear in new members Voting Members - Shira Concool - Dan D'Argenio - Mendy Fisch - Rebecca Freedholm - Charlie Hamlin - Adi Kulkarni - Sarah Latham - Brielle Manley - CJ Martino - Juan Carlos Melendez-Torres - Matt Oresky - Dan Rathauser - Alicia Siani - Andrea Spector - Bill Stoltzfus - Amy Straus - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin 
Non-Voting Members - Judy Fox - Kalla Gervasio Honor Code Format

The Honor Code explanation has three sections: purpose, responsibilities, and history. All three sections will appear when printed in the handbook and when sent to prospective students. In other places, the Code can be accompanied by as many sections as appropriate. 
Princeton Day School
Code of Honor
To learn honorably is to live honorably.
In order to foster the development of our community of learners, I will:
-- uphold personal and academic integrity,
-- respect myself and others,
-- act responsibly and lead by example,
-- be honest in my own work,
-- and embrace the values expressed in this code.
---------------
Purpose of the Honor Code:
The purpose of the PDS Code of Honor is to set a standard of integrity, respect, and compassion for members of the Upper School community. When we respect other people and their work, and when we act in the belief that we should treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated, then we build our community. The Code is a statement of Upper School philosophy that complements PDS's Statement of Philosophy and Mission Statement. Echoing the Mission Statement, Community Council's goal in creating the Code is to learn to "act knowledgeably, to share generously, and to contribute meaningfully."
Responsibilities under the Honor Code:
Students and faculty, whether they are part of the community or entering it, should attempt to live by the Code. Members of Community Council, charged with the responsibility of implementing the Code, are expected to embrace the Code and its standards. Members of the faculty, as educators inside and outside the classroom, share the responsibility of helping students learn how to uphold the values of the Code. Each year on the first day of school, the president of Community Council will discuss the Code as part of his opening remarks, after which advisors will discuss the Code with their advisees during their first advisee meeting.
History of the Honor Code:
Princeton Day School has had some kind of an honor code since its founding in 1965. The original "Honor System," existed until 1995. In the fall of each year, students signed the following pledge: "I understand the Honor System at Princeton Day School. I accept my responsibility to uphold it," and agreed to hold each other accountable for infractions such as lying, cheating, stealing, and plagiarism. Faced with increasing student reluctance to monitor peer behavior, Council and the US Faculty voted to replace the Honor System with the Declaration of Academic and Personal Integrity in the 1995-1996 school year. The Declaration defined academic and personal integrity and asserted that trust was an "...on-going process; it is the outcome, not a prerequisite for, the making of a community." Students signed the Declaration, acknowledging only that they had read the document.
In 2003, Council began investigating the reinstatement of an honor code, wanting to create a document that could become a more integral part of Upper School life than the Declaration. The authors of the present Code hope that because of its origins within the student body, its clarity, and Council's commitment to maintaining its relevancy, the Code will assume this integral status within the community.
This Code was written and approved by Community Council in 2004 and 2005, and adopted as a statement of Upper School philosophy in a school-wide referendum in 2006.
Mendy: We are going to try to pass the final version of the Honor Code.
Dan D'Argenio: Has the Honor Code changed at all from last time?
Mendy: We now have the Purpose of the Code, the Responsibilities under the Honor Code, and the History of the Honor Code. 
Dan D'Argenio: In the Responsibilities under the Honor Code, I do not support "members of Community Council, charged with the responsibility of implementing the Code, are expected to embrace the Code and its standards." 
CJ Martino: I see implementation of the code as hanging the plaque and putting the Honor Code on the back of the lunch cards. 
Matt Oresky: I think that you should add "in their own lives" after "embrace the Code and its standards."
Mr. Stoltzfus: If anyone is expected to live up to the Honor Code, Council is. 
Hugh Wynne: How about "keeping the Honor Code in discussion"?
CJ Martino: Or "making it visible to the PDS community"?
Mr. Stoltzfus: What about saying members of Community Council should promote the code?
Mendy: We could take out that sentence, but the point is that it puts the responsibility on Council to make the Honor Code visible to the community. 
Mr. Tucker: I think that we should embrace the Honor Code's values and keep it a living document. 

Dr. Fox: The Honor Code should not just be for Council, but for everyone. 
Mendy: Let's vote on the following: "All members of the community are expected to embrace the values of the code, and members of the Community Council are expected to keep it a living document." 
The vote is unanimous. 
Mendy:
Problems with vending machines 
Yesterday we suffered a big setback in the vending machine project. The company that we were working with all along, Vita Vending, informed me that their technician told them that the snack machine cannot go outside. They had been telling us since January that the machine COULD go outside. 
Ms. Stadulis is negotiating with the company. They also say they will look at other models. However, there is little possibility that they will be able to do anything soon. Regardless of the outcome, we WILL make sure that the soda machines are replaced behind the school within the week. 
An alternative plan that we could try for a few weeks would be the Honor system. This could be a test of the Honor Code. How this would work: 
Take a box with a combination lock. This is so that random people who are not in the school do not open the box. I already have a good box. 
Tell everyone in school the combination to the box. Fill the box with the food that we want. Have people write down how many items they took and ask them for money at the end of the month. The Council President would make sure that the box is always filled with food. 
I'd encourage trying this for a week or so. If it does not work, that is too bad. If it works, it will be a great testament to our community. This also has big advantages over vending companies: we can get whatever we want to put in the box, and we get to keep all of the profit money, not just 20%. I volunteer to supply the food for the trial. 
Adi Kulkarni: I really don't think that this is a good idea. There are some kids who will just want free food. The food will be gone within a period. The money will also probably disappear. 
Mendy: We are placing trust in the students. 
Alicia Siani: How big would the box be? 
Mendy: The size of a cooler. 
CJ Martino: One person could ruin the idea of how honorable our community is. It would be a step backward for the Honor Code if it fails. 
Mr. Tucker: Where would the box be placed? 
Mendy: I talked to Chef Brian, and it could be placed in the Campus Center. 
Mr. Stoltzfus: You don't need to give the lock combination to everyone. You could experiment case by case, so that the entire community would not necessarily be hurt if it failed. 
Shira Concool: Could we use people's numbers instead of money? 
Mendy: Then it might be hard to track everyone down. 
Ben Fisch: Greg had the position of advertising for Council. We can choose someone to be the head of the after school snack box system. 
Alicia Siani: A student could work or get community service hours by watching the box. 
Mendy: We couldn't have someone work all the time... The element of trust would still be involved. I move that we try it for a week and see what happens. 
Laptops in the Library Some students who use the library after-hours when it is open during the winter months requested that they be able to use laptops in the library after school. 
I talked with Ms. Gerlock about their request and she said that they might be able to buy another laptop so that they could leave one out after school next winter. By passing this resolution, we would respond to the students' requests and make it more likely that the library would be able to purchase another laptop. 
Laptop Proposal In response to requests from students who need to stay late in school during the winter months, Council recommends that the library provide a laptop for use after-hours during this time. 
CJ Martino: Council urges the administration to find an area in the main school building where students could leave sports equipment during the school day. Council feels that having students proceed to the rink in the morning to drop off the equipment takes up considerable time during advisor check in period and many students feel equipment is unsafe in those locker rooms. Furthermore, Council would work to suggest an appropriate area for this. It wastes a good ten minutes just to go the rink to put your stuff down. 
Amy Straus: I agree that a lot of people don't feel comfortable putting their sports equipment in the locker rooms. 
Hugh Wynne: I suggest discussing this with the Athletic Department. 
Mendy: Honor Code Plaque 
The design that they gave us is a huge wooden plaque, but plastic or metal is also a possibility. 
The plaque would include the main body of the code plus the purpose of the Honor Code paragraph. 
Ms. Latham: I wouldn't put the purpose on the plaque. The plaque should be more simple. 
Greg Francfort: We could make a contest for who could design the best plaque. 
Mendy: The design company will inevitably change it. 
Hugh is sworn in as president. 
Mendy: Thank you for being such a great Council. 
Dan Rathauser: Let's give one more thank you to Mendy. Council Minutes 4/13/05 Summary - Mendy introduced the Council calendar. - Mendy discussed his plan to have Council meet after school (the plan may possibly require a change in the bylaws). Mendy also recommended changing the Council bylaws to set the quorum requirement at two thirds of elected Council members instead of two thirds of voting Council members. Council decided not to vote today on these matters. - Mendy's short-term agenda includes addressing the following questions: - How should the honor code be implemented? - Should the Upper School participate in Blue and White Day? - How should Council be involved in improvements around the school and inschool renovations? - Should student requests be included in Sodexho's new contract? - Council formed committees to discuss the honor code and school improvements. Voting Members Present - David Blitzer - Shira Concool - Ellen Cook - Allissa Crea - Jenna Dodds - Mendy Fisch - Tanvi Goel - Charlie Hamlin - Sarah Latham - Harvey Lee - Adi Kulkarni - C.J. Martino - Ian McCue - Jeff Moll - Kunle Onitiri - Matt Oresky - Will Patteson - Mary Peters - Sanjeev Sharma - Alicia Siani - Andrea Spector - Bill Stoltzfus - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Claire Alsup - Nicole Auerbach - Andy Babick - Jay Bavishi - Dan Dargenio - Oliver Elbert - Jason Ferree - Ben Fisch - Greg Francfort - Meg Francfort - Kalla Gervasio - Kyle Hogan - Aditi Juneja - Matt Levinson - Madeleine Rosenberg - Adam Savitzky - Seth Stein - Beth Wei The following students were sworn into office: - President: Mendy Fisch - Secretary/Treasurer: Andrea Spector - PAP Co-Heads: Allissa Crea, Will Patteson - Judiciary Committee Co-Heads: Charlie Hamlin, Ian McCue - Judiciary Committee Secretary: Madeleine Rosenberg - Athletic Association Co-Heads: David Blitzer, Mary Peters - Student Activities Committee Co-Heads: Kunle Onitiri, Sanjeev Sharma - Assembly Planning Committee Co-Heads: Tanvi Goel, Craig Knowlton - Community Service Committee Co-Heads: Shira Concool, Mary Ellen Cook Kyle: Congratulations to the new leaders of Community Council. Mendy: I have made a Council calendar. Community Council meetings will be held about twice a month. We should have some after school meetings. We can’t use up school time for Council meetings listening to committee discussions. We will move through issues a lot more quickly. We have a lot of issues to get through and we want to address them. By having some after school meetings, in school Council meetings will be reserved for more interesting topics and can be oriented toward non-council members. We will be able to expand the number of issues dealt with by Council. Current Council bylaws require two thirds of voting members present to run a meeting. This means that 20 people (including clubs and student associations) would need to come to council. As a solution, we should change Council bylaws to set the quorum requirement at two thirds of elected Council members (Council officers, class presidents, and class representatives). These Council members would need to come to Council. Other voting members (such as AWARE, ENACT, and PAP representatives) can come if they want, but would not be required to come. Changing the bylaws requires a two thirds majority vote. Mr. Tucker will talk about the schedule at the next Community Council meeting. Our first after school meeting will be next Thursday at 5:00 PM. Mr. Stoltzfus: Would we permanently change the bylaws stating that two thirds of voting members must be present to run a meeting? Mendy: Yes; we would change the requirement. Dan Dargenio: Which clubs are able to vote? Mendy: There is a procedure for clubs to apply for voting eligibility. Ian McCue: Will there be voting at the after school meetings or just discussion? Ms. Latham: If there was voting at after school meetings, resolutions may be passed without everyone knowing it. Mendy: We would only have discussion. David Blitzer: I am concerned about the times of after school meetings. For example, many of us have athletic commitments at 5:00, which is when you suggested that we would have the meetings. Andy Babick: The benefits that will come from the after school meetings outweigh the potential negatives. After school meetings will be dedicated to one issue; we will get more done. Mendy: The committees will come to Council and present their ideas. Jeff Moll: It is important that we also have discussion during Community Council in the meetings at school. Mr. Sanderson: This is a community council, not a student council. Meeting times should be held at a time when everyone can make it. Mendy: The meetings will be held at times that are convenient for most of the people. After school meetings may not be interesting. At those meetings, we may only be working out details. The after school meetings would be actual Council meetings, but all voting would occur at in-school Council meetings. If we vote now, we would vote on whether or not we can have the vote today. Then we would vote on whether to change the quorum requirement to two thirds of elected members. Jay Bavishi: We should not vote today -- officers need to go back to their classes and discuss this. It is typical to vote after a week. If we were to vote, we first need a two thirds majority before we can vote on your proposal. Mendy: I can write a proposal. Let's not vote now. We also need to figure out how to implement the honor code. Those who would like to be on the honor code committee should email Andrea. There will be an honor code finalization meeting. The suggested meeting time is this Friday at 5:00. Jay Bavishi: You will not be able to finalize the honor code in one week. Mendy: In addition to the honor code committee, we need to form a committee that will discuss Council's involvement in school improvements. The suggested meeting time for this committee is next Monday at 5:00. Ideas from Dan Rathouser, Council Vice President, include addressing school spirit and holding a commemoration of September 11. Council will also have three new positions: Council Webmaster, who will create a Council webpage, Council Pollster, who will find out student opinion, and Council Advertising Secretary, who will encourage participation in Council and make the student body aware of Council votes, resolutions, events, and fundraisers. Email Andrea if you would like to be on a committee.  Council Minutes 4/20/05 Summary Unofficial meeting with Mr. Tucker for interested dtudents to discuss possible schedule changes for next year. The issue that was most discussed was finding a time for advisor meetings. Voting Members Present - Adi Kulkarni - Sarah Latham - Harvey Lee - CJ Martino - Matt Oresky - Alicia Siani - Andrea Spector - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Nicole Auerbach - Kyle Brinster - Dan Dargenio - Jenna Dodds - Ben Fisch - Meghan Francfort - Kalla Gervasio - Aditi Juneja - Shilpa Reddy Mr. Tucker: Today, we will talk about how to revise the schedule for next year. There are a few issues with this year's schedule -- for example, a class may meet last period on one day and first period the next day. We also do not have advisor meetings this year. However, there are still a lot of positives about this year's schedule. Fifty minutes is the right amount of time for each class. From my own perspective, it was a good idea to have class meetings after Announcements/Mini-Assembly. Dr. Gadd has put together three possible schedules for next year. Advisor meetings can take place during part of Community Council or the Announcements/Mini-Assembly period. We can also use the club meeting time on Friday for advisor meetings. However, these are just suggestions. We need input from students. CJ Martino: I like the idea of having advisor meetings after lunch – Monday would be too hectic with announcements, class meeting, and an advisor meeting. I would not want to lose Community Council time on Wednesday. Ms. Latham: Do we need to have class meetings every week? We can sometimes use class meeting time for advisor meetings. Meghan Francfort: Since Community Council does not have that many meetings, we should not meet during that time. Jenna Dodds: Students could eat lunch with their advisors. Dan Dargenio: We should not cut out more Community Council blocks. I like the idea of switching with class meetings, except that we need class meetings for elections in the spring and to prepare for the Halloween Parade in the fall. I agree that having an advisor meeting while eating lunch is also a good idea. Joe Yellin: Could we split the time between Community Council and advisor meetings on Wednesdays? Mr. Tucker: Advisor meetings would not take the whole period. Nicole Auerbach: We should have the advisor meetings during lunch instead of after lunch. Although I like the idea of meetings with advisors after or instead of class meetings, there is one problem. Students who play sports might miss the end of school. It is better to meet with advisors during the day when everyone would always be there. Hugh Wynne: If we were to have advisor meetings during lunch, I would prefer a day in the middle of the week rather than a Friday. Dan Dargenio: I would like to have the advisor meetings on Friday. If we have the meetings in the middle of the week, people might be studying for tests. Matt Oresky: Eating lunch with your advisor on Friday is a good idea. Then we would not be cutting into Community Council time. Jenna: Class meeting time is crucial because the grade comes together. My grade gets a lot done during class meeting time. Ms. Latham: Would it bother you to have advisor meetings on Friday? Can I see a show of hands? A few students raise their hands. Nicole Auerbach: Most of us have more free time on Thursday because of the PE block and the Peer Group block. Can we move one of these blocks to Friday? Mr. Tucker: That would be difficult. If you are concerned about the issue of advisor meetings, I would like to hear from you. Thank you. Council Minutes 4/21/05 After School Informal Community Council Summary Compiled by Mendy Topics
Who will serve lunch next year, School improvements-should Council build coatracks, how will we implement the honor code Present - Dan D’Argenio - Ally Brill - Chris Backer - CJ Martino - Alicia Siani - Aditi Juneja - Bill Stoltzfus - Mendy Fisch - Zach Cherry - Nick Maloney - Efren Bernacet - Cindy Stadulis - Will Patteson - Adam Sussman - Liza Morehouse - Kunle Onitiri - Shira Concool - Charlie Hamlin - Peter Travers - Katie James - Katherine Levinton - Jacob Waters - Plus a few people who entered and exited fairly quickly and probably came for the pizza As you can see, a lot of people showed for this meeting, so we will be able to have them frequently! Summary
Ms. Stadulis gave council the inside scoop on the process to pick a new food service provider. Sodexho’s contract expires this year, and a faculty panel has already decided that Sodexho is not going to be a candidate for running the Campus Center next year. All of Sodexho’s campus center employees except for the senior management have the option to stay and will likely stay next year. The new contract will last three years. Three companies are in the running for next year, Culinart, Flick, and Sage. They have each submitted binders detailing their food service and will be making presentations to a panel next Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Four students, Dan D’Argenio, CJ Martino, Aditi Juneja, and Kunle Onitiri volunteered to serve on the panel. (It is likely that given the time commitment and limited space on the panel, only two of those students will attend.) A week from Monday, Mendy will make a presentation during announcements summarizing the services offered by each food service. Students on the panel will contribute to this presentation. A transcript and summary of the panel will also be available on PDSnet. After this presentation, Council will poll students to judge their preferences and the results of this poll will be a large factor in the business office’s final decision. No Council legislation is required on this issue unless Council decides to hold a formal vote recommending a particular company. We will allow some time in the next formal council to hear students’ opinions on the topic. With Ms. Stadulis moderating, students debated various aspects of food policy, including whether the snack bar should restrict its sale of candy and whether the school should include the cost of lunch in tuition and allow students to take whatever they want to eat from the campus center. These are two important questions for food policy next year and will probably be in the Council poll. Next, CJ Martino and Aditi Juneja presented their plans for Community Council to build coatracks. Martino explained that this plan is of minimal cost but would really improve students’ lives. It is something that needs to be done that Council can step up and do. Martino proposed building coatracks (or coat hooks) in four places: in the space between the doors and the lockers in shepherd commons, along the wall in the “nook,” in the hallway between the math wing and the theater lobby, and along the wall near the boys’ bathroom in back of the theater lobby. Ally Brill, representing the “nook,” voiced concern over coatracks being built in her area. Martino assured her that his suggestions for the location of coatracks were just suggestions and that after council approved the plan of building coatracks, he, Juneja, and others on the committee would work out the details with concerned students. Martino is also talking to people in Buildings and Grounds to secure their help. In the next formal council we will introduce a resolution to build coatracks. Once this resolution passes, the committee will determine where to build them. Thankfully, this has room to take a while since we aren’t having coat whether right now. Finally, Mr. Stoltzfus led a discussion about the honor code. The honor code was passed by the previous council but they left its implementation up to us, with a few suggestions. In the meeting, we decided on the following plan (which will be introduced to Council as a resolution): - Make an announcement in Monday announcements introducing the honor code before the end of the year. Mr. Stoltzfus and the judiciary co-heads will lead the announcement. - We will make an another announcement next fall, following which students will be encouraged to sign the honor code during advisory meetings. - Nothing will happen to students who decide not to sign; they will not be forced since the honor code is supposed to be a voluntary declaration. Council will keep track of what percentage of students signed (but not specific students). - Before the end of the year, the council pollster will conduct a poll to gauge the popularity of requiring students to sign their names on graded assignments (this is a proposal separate from the honor code.) If the poll is close, Council will hold a referendum on the issue. We also discussed ways to make the honor code effective once people sign it. We thought about putting up copies of the honor code in each classroom. Some people had other ideas. For example, Dan D’Argenio suggested that a student who signs should get a seal or sticker identifying him or her as a signer of the honor code. These could go on students’ PDS cards. Hopefully students with the seal on their card would be compelled to act in accordance with the code. We elaborated on the purpose of the code. The code is not to get people in trouble after they do something wrong. PDS already has a judiciary committee and extensive rules in the handbook detailing infractions and punishments. Students are human and are bound to mess up and do something unethical or against the rules during their high school careers. The honor code is meant to catch people before they mess up, to help them not mess up as badly. We don’t hold any illusions that the code will have a severe impact on the number of infractions, but if we can prevent even five or ten people from messing up, the code will be a huge success. The next Council will be Wednesday, May 4.  Council Minutes 05/04/05 Agenda - 11:00 – 11:10 Introduce proposals - Instating the Honor Code - Building coat racks - 11:10 – 11:20 Introduce Blue and White day topic - Background of Blue and White Day - Reasons for Upper School participation - Drawbacks to participation - Establish Blue and White Day committee, sign up after Council - 11:20-11:25 Questions/comments on any of the proposals or Blue and White day - 11:25 -11:45 Ms. Stadulis answers community questions about food vendor service - Ms. Stadulis will give a 5 summary of where the process is now - We’ll have about 15 minutes for questions and comments on the food vendor selection Announcements We will have an informal after school meeting next Thursday, May 12. The next Wednesday council will be Wednesday, May 15. If you are interested in joining the committee to discuss Blue and White day, email or speak to Mendy or Andrea. If you would like sample menus for the food service provider options, ask Mendy (he has plenty). If you feels strongly about one of the proposals introduced in Council and would like to recommend changes, please talk to Mendy. Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - David Blitzer - Shira Concool - Dan D’argenio - Mendy Fisch - Judy Fox - Rebecca Freedholm - Charlie Hamlin - Adi Kulkarni - Matt Levinson - Harvey Lee - C.J. Martino - Ian McCue - Matt Oresky - George Sanderson - Alicia Siani - Andrea Spector - Bill Stoltzfus - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Ben Fisch - Jason Ferree - Greg Francfort - Meg Francfort - Kalla Gervasio - Adam Savitzky - Jacob Waters - Beth Wei Minutes: Mendy: Good morning. I would first like to introduce two proposals. Instating the Honor Code 1. Community Council will take the following steps to introduce the Honor Code to the community: 1. Before the end of the year, Mr. Stoltzfus and the judiciary coheads will make an announcement during Monday announcements introducing the Honor Code and explaining its purpose. 2. Next fall, these same people will reintroduce the Honor Code in an announcement to the Upper School. 3. Following the announcement next fall, advisors will encourage students to sign the Honor Code. 4. The Honor Code committee will brainstorm ways to remind the community of the Honor Code throughout next year in order to make the Code a bigger part of student life. 2. Community Council’s policy on signing the Honor Code will be as follows: 1. Students will neither be forced to sign the Honor Code nor punished if they do not sign. 2. Council will keep track of the percentage of students who sign the code in order to monitor the success of the Code. 3. Community Council will take the following steps to make a decision on the proposal to require students to sign their names on graded assignments: 1. Within a week after Council passes this resolution, the Council pollster will conduct a poll on a random sampling of students and faculty to gauge the popularity of requiring students to sign their names on graded assignments. 2. The results of the poll will be presented in the next Council meeting. If Council determines by a majority vote that the results are “close,” Council will hold a referendum on the issue and a majority community vote will decide the policy for next year. 3. If Council determines that the results are “not close,” it will act to reflect the views of the community as expressed in the poll. Building Coat Racks Building coat racks would be a cheap, easy way to make ordinary students' lives more convenient as well as improve the way our school looks. Many students are unable to put their coats and backpacks in their lockers and end up putting them on the ground or under tables. This has caused the school to look sloppy and may also contribute to theft. We believe that it is the responsibility of Community Council to step in and solve small problems that are affecting members of the community, and that this would be a good opportunity to show our willingness to accept that responsibility. By passing this proposal we set a precedent for Council involvement in small improvements around the school. We hope to turn Council into a tool that the average community member can use to make his or her life easier. 1. Council will try to put up coat racks or coat hooks in key locations around the school, including Shepherd Commons, the back of the theater lobby, the hallway between the math wing and the theater lobby, and the “nook” area by the computer lab. 2. The responsibility for organizing the coat rack construction will be delegated to the School Improvement Committee, which will consult with Buildings and Grounds. 3. The School Improvement Committee will report to Council on the cost of the coat racks before installing them. Mendy: Next, we will discuss Blue and White Day. The Upper School used to participate in Blue and White Day a long time ago. Blue and White Day is now only for the Lower School and the Middle School. One year, there were several snow days and the Upper School was forced to make a decision between Band Barbeque and Blue and White Day. The Upper School decided not to participate in Blue and White Day. An advantage of participating in Blue and White Day is that it would be a fun day for the Upper School and the school would become more united. Some people are also nostalgic for Blue and White Day. One major drawback would be that the Upper School would lose a day of classes. If we decide to participate in Blue and White Day, Council will try to find a good time for Blue and White Day – possibly later in the year. However, it is tough to coordinate between the Lower School and the Middle School. If you want to be on the Blue and White Day committee, talk to Andrea or me. We would not be able to have Blue and White Day this year, but we could participate next year. Does anyone have any comments on the proposals or Blue and White Day? Dan D’argenio: It will be tough to get the seniors involved in Blue and White Day before AP Week. David Blitzer: The seniors could come back from Senior Project. Blue and White Day could also be more about the Upper School or perhaps just for the Upper School. Shira Concool: If we have Blue and White Day before APs have ended, juniors and seniors will be stressed. I don’t know how many people would be excited. Andy Babick: A lot of teachers need to get in last minute studying before AP exams. In some classes, students may be taking the AP in only a few days and still learning new material. Sophomores have the research paper. Having Blue and White Day now would not be a great time. I like the idea of school unity. We should encourage having Blue and White Day with the Lower School and the Middle School. Mendy: Would you all be in favor of continuing the discussion on Blue and White Day? The majority of students raise their hands. Mr. Sanderson: Only half of the Upper School would come to Blue and White Day years ago, which didn’t seem to be meeting the goals of the event. Mr. Tucker: Having an all school event is a terrific idea. Instead of taking part all day, we could have an all school gathering at the beginning of Blue and White Day and have some participation (for example, at the beginning of the day). Mr. Sanderson: I am in favor of an event that instills unity and enthusiasm in the Upper School. I would not be in favor of Blue and White Day if students felt that they did not have to be there. We need to address the attendance problem. I have some ideas about how we could address it. Mr. Stoltzfus: Issues with Blue and White Day include losing interest and competitiveness on the part of the Upper School. Given Band Barbeque and Blue and White Day, Upper Schoolers felt that Band Barbeque would be more fun. Should we have Blue and White Day instead of Band Barbeque? Having both is a mistake. Ian McCue: We should have an all school election to see if the majority of students would want to participate in Blue and White Day. Mendy: Good idea – having an election would be consistent with what we are trying to do. Greg Francfort: We could have Blue and White Day and Band Barbeque on the same day. For instance, we could have Blue and White Day for the first two thirds of the day. Ben Fisch: The activities for the Upper School do not have to be the same as those for the Middle and Lower Schools. We could change the activities so that they are more appealing to high schoolers. Beth Wei: Middle schoolers have a sense of leadership with lower schoolers. Having upper schoolers participate in Blue and White Day would infringe on that sense of responsibility. Shira: Beth makes a good point. Blue and White Day is really a day for the Middle School, since lower schoolers leave early. If we are there, it might make their day not as special. Mr. Tucker: Turning to the Honor Code, you said in your proposal, “Students will neither be forced to sign the Honor Code nor punished if they do not sign.” Will there be issues with understanding why upper schoolers will not sign? Mendy: We will encourage people to sign the honor code, but we will not force them because it would go against the meaning of the Honor Code. The Honor Code’s job is not to punish people, but to help people before they commit an infraction. We already have ways to deal with infractions. Also, by simply giving the Honor Code to students, many students will feel that they should sign it. We will try to pass the Honor Code proposal the next time we meet. Mr. Sanderson: Will the vote on the honor code proposal be in Council? Mendy: Yes. Now Ms. Stadulis will talk to us about the process of choosing a new food service program. Welcome. Ms. Stadulis: Thank you. It was a big decision to change our food service. We originally looked at five different vendors. Of those five, one declined. We were down to four. Then, a committee of 13 decided to eliminate Sodexho. It has been strongly stressed that the food service should be changed but not the people. Don’t worry – you will still see the same staff. Then we invited the three candidates to come back to the campus. We wanted to hear about each food service’s vision for the campus center and for the gymateria (where the lower schoolers eat), as well as who their potential candidate manager would be. We were also interested in seeing a sample of refreshment menus. Last week, we met with all three vendors on three different occasions. When we sent out our request, we had two options – a retail program, where you would pay for what you eat, and a board option, where your lunch costs would be included in your tuition. Culinart preferred the retail option and talked about the limitations of the board program. Sage said that many schools are going from a retail to a board program. Students under a board program would have unlimited options and could come back for seconds. You would not have to worry about your card. Sage’s strength was the board program. Flik talked about both retail and board programs. Flik proposed having a station with demonstrations and other activities – this appealed to most of the committee members. Our committee discussed the benefits to both retail and board programs. Next year, we will continue with the retail program. Our committee asked questions to Flik, Sage, and Culinart about environmental concerns. Flik stood out. Flik would use materials that are biodegradable. Flik also talked about nutrition and variety. When 21 committee members voted, 15 selected Flik as first choice, 4 chose Culinart, and 2 chose Sage. If we go to the schools and we find that they are not as fabulous as we hope they are, we will meet again as a committee. Our number one choice was Flik. We hope to be able to make a recommendation by May 12 to the administration team. Sodexho wants to terminate at the end of graduation, so we need someone new for the summer program. Adam Savitzky: I would support a board program. A lot of people still do not understand what a value meal is, so they end up paying a la carte and spending more money in the long run. I would like being able to go up once in a while and get seconds. Also, $750 is about how much we spend right now, so there would not a cost issue with the board program. Jacob Waters: I think having a board program would be an issue for people who bring lunch and for seniors with privileges, who might go into Princeton for lunch instead. Meg Francfort: Would the board program include what you buy at the Snack Bar? Ms. Stadulis: There would be a cost associated with the Snack Bar, but we could discuss selling an item that is very popular at the Snack Bar in the Campus Center instead. We don’t know enough about their choice offerings right now. There are still a lot of unknowns. Mendy: Thank you, Ms. Stadulis. If anyone would like to see a sample menu, contact me. If anyone wants to join the Blue and White day committee, talk to me or Andrea. Remember, informal meeting next Thursday, next in-school Council in two weeks.   Council Minutes 5/10/06 May 10, 2006 Agenda
10:55-11:10: Band Barbecue discussion
11:10-11:25: Community Service proposal
11:25-11:35: Battle of the Bands discussion
11:35-11:43: Snack Box discussion
11:43-11:45: Rearrange the tables and chairs

Voting - Claire Alsup - Dave Coghlan - James Cole - Julie Elkin - Meg Francfort - Katie Greenberg - Anna Liu - CJ Martino - GJ Melendez-Torres - Paul Mannino - Mark Millner - James Patteson - Alicia Siani - Bill Stoltzfus - Hugh Wynne Non-Voting - Katie Brossman - Ben Fisch - Mary Williams Band Barbecue: The Blue and White Day resolution: Upper School Participation in Blue and White Day (passed 11/09/05) Community Council is committed to establishing Upper School participation in Blue and White day, and in order to further this goal, we resolve to:
1. Endorse Upper School participation in Blue and White Day from 8 AM until about 9:30 AM. (The exact times will be determined by the PE department.)
2. Work towards broader participation in Blue and White day by evaluating this year's participation and working to add more activities and time for next year. (Council will hold a meeting in May after this year's Blue and White day to decide on actions to take for next year.)
3. Urge the administration to work with Council in May to expand Upper School participation in Blue and White day as much as Council deems prudent. 4. Clarify that this year is a trial year for Blue and White day and that the goal of this resolution is to start a tradition that will later expand.
N.B.
It is our understanding in passing this resolution that the PE department will work to plan activities in this period of time that involve all students in the Upper School. We extend our gratitude to the PE department for their work to include us in Blue and White Day.
This resolution does not change traditional plans for any other end-of-the year events, including Band Barbecue.

Reasons why a full band barbecue time would be good:
- Seniors would be able to attend. Attendance would probably increase.
- Sports have ended, so there would be no sporting events after band barbecue.
- The fields do not need to be prepared for any event afterwards.
- It bolsters a Link Picnic that would not put out a full yearbook.
- Although people would be dressed up, there are bathrooms throughout the school in which people can change or they can choose to listen to music while still wearing their nice clothes.
- It would entertain the student body more than the indoor event because it has more possibilities (e.g. Listening to music, playing pickup sports games).
- It is an event for the student body to enjoy themselves.

Reasons why the new time is bad:
- Since many faculty will be at Senior Awards, they won't be able to prepare hot dogs and such.
- It hampers the Link Picnic.
- It would go after school at which point it would be hard to force people to stay.
- It is easier for the organizers and it is also cheaper.

Mrs. Williams: The Band Barbecue will be the Link picnic. A band will play in the theater and there will be food in the campus center. If it is nice, we will be able to go outside to the field behind Colross. 

A Battle of the Bands subcommittee will organize next year's event.

Hugh: 
Community Service Council

In light of the PDS' increased effort to improve the Community Service Program, I would like to propose the formation of a more formal Upper School Community Service Council.
This Council would coordinate and lead all Upper School Community Service activities Ð Blood Drive, Donations, Claus Project, Community Service Day, Thanksgiving Food Baskets Drive, etc.

The Council would consist of the President, elected by the whole Upper School Student Body (we already have that in place), and eight representatives Ð two from each grade, elected by their classes. The duties of the class Community Service Representatives would be to attend regular Community Service Council meetings and report all new initiatives, upcoming events and community service opportunities to their classes during class meetings. In addition, the class representatives would help to facilitate class discussions and reflections on community service. 

The Community Service Council will take the place of the Community Service Club in existence today. It will be open to all students wishing to participate. 
It would meet every other Monday during lunch. Council Minutes 5/16/05 After School Informal Community Council Summary Compiled by Mendy Note: If you signed up for the Blue and White Day committee but were not at the meeting, you should read the Blue and White Day summary. We are going to meet during lunch this week. Topics - Bringing Back Blue and White Day - Instating the Honor Code - Battle of the Bands Plans Summary Blue and White Day
Ms. Thomas talked to us about Blue and White Day. Her plan for achieving the most Upper School participation for Blue and White Day is to have Upper Schoolers come for the picture, do relay races in the morning, go to classes while the Middle School does activities with the Lower School, and participate in other Blue and White Day activities during lunch and during the afternoon. She was excited about being able to involve the whole school in an athletic competition, but she pointed out some fairly large obstacles. First of all, it is hard to coordinate the schedules between the Upper School, Lower School, and Middle School. Blue and White Day is always on a Friday. It almost always has to be on the week of May 5 for the Lower and Middle Schools because the next week is Grandparents Day and there would not be enough time to schedule a rain date. The trouble with May 5 is that it is in the middle of Upper School APs. Next year, US History and European History will both have exams on May 5. Even if Blue and White Day was moved to the next week (May 12), it would conflict with Spanish Literature, Latin Literature, and Latin Virgil. Having Blue and White Day before AP exams start could frustrate teachers who need time to review. The schedule is still an obstacle that needs to be overcome. Unless we find a solution, the students taking the APs may miss out on some of the Blue and White Day activities. Another obstacle is that participating in Blue and White Day would likely mean losing one morning period and two afternoon periods. Consequently, we would most likely have to choose between missing classes for Blue and White Day and missing classes for Band Barbecue. Ms. Thomas said that there is absolutely no way Band Barbecue could be integrated with Blue and White Day because Blue and White Day is a competitive athletic event, not a barbecue. However, Ms. Thomas also explained that Blue and White Day would not cost the SAC any money. After Ms. Thomas left, Ms. Williams and the other students tried to think of ways to keep Band Barbecue without missing classes. One possibility that we discussed was having a barbecue at the Link picnic instead of just soda and cookies, having student bands volunteer to play, and possibly hiring some bouncy equipment to complete the party. This embellished Link picnic would last from after senior awards until about 5:00 (all sports will have ended). This would be a way of giving the Link a better celebration and providing ample time for people to sign year books. We would also be keeping Band Barbecue while freeing up time for Blue and White Day. We did not discuss these plans with any of the Link advisors, so we will have to wait to hear what they say. At the end of the meeting, we resolved that the council pollster will poll people about their Blue and White Day vs. Band Barbecue preferences. Also, class representatives will speak to their classes. This topic will be discussed more in Council on Wednesday. The Blue and White Day committee will meet during lunch before next week. Instating the Honor Code
We discussed the Honor Code proposal that was introduced during the last Council. In particular, we talked about why it is a good idea that students would not be obligated to sign the Honor Code. Mr. Stoltzfus explained that forcing people to sign will not allow them to make a conscious decision to agree to the Honor Code and will make the Honor Code indistinguishable from the rules we already have. The point of the Honor Code is to encourage students to make a personal decision to try to act honorably. If we make signing the Honor Code the “cool thing to do,” we will create a more honorable community. The Honor Code is not meant for use after an infraction has already occurred and it does not have any extra rules. The sole purpose of the Honor Code is to prompt students to make a conscious decision about their actions, since most infractions occur not because students are bad people but because they were not thinking. Others believe that not making students sign the proposal would make the honor code ineffective. At the meeting, we discussed ways of keeping track of the number of people who signed so that we could test keeping the Honor Code voluntary before re-thinking for next year. Before the next Council meeting, the Council Pollster will conduct a “whip” of voting members, seeing where they stand on the proposal and seeing if there is enough support for it to pass. Depending on where people stand, we might either divide the question and pass part of the proposal or try to pass the entire proposal. Battle of the Bands Plans
This winter, Jenna Dodds planned a battle of the bands event to raise money for tsunami relief. She invited schools from around the Princeton area (at least five schools). Each school had a band that would play and compete with the other bands. The Arts Council booked a free space for the event and it was scheduled for a weekend in April. However, since the school needed to insure the event, the administration was concerned with holding a PDS sponsored outdoor event for the community where unpredictable events could happen and the event did not take place. (Talking to me before the meeting, Mr. Tucker cited drinking during prom as a reason for the decision against insuring the battle of the bands.) During the meeting, we discussed possible ways to resurrect the battle of the bands idea, perhaps for next fall. If the event goes well, it would be a way for PDS to gain publicity promoting a good cause. One possibility that we brought up was trying to find another entity to insure the event but taking the initiative in organizing it. That way, the school would not have to assume the risk of insuring it but could take the credit if it went well.  Council Minutes 5/18/05 Announcement: The Blue and White Day committee meeting will be held on Monday, May 23, at 1:00 in the back of the Campus Center. Summary - Council passed the first two parts of the Honor Code proposal. - Mendy explained the results of the Food Service poll. - Council discussed ways for the Upper School to participate in Blue and White Day next year. - Council talked about holding a Battle of the Bands event next fall. - Council discussed the school improvement/coat racks proposal. Agenda - 11:00-11:05 - Swear in new members (if present). - 11:05-11:15: Vote on parts I and II of the "Instating the Honor Code" proposal (below) - 11:15-11:20: Explain Food Service poll results and current status of the Food Service committee - 11:20-11 :35: Discuss Blue and White Day and Battle of the Bands options - 11:35-11:45: Discuss school improvement/coat racks proposal Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - David Blitzer - Dan D'Argenio - Rebecca Freedholm - Tanvi Goel - Charlie Hamlin - Harvey Lee - C.J. Martino - Ian McCue - Kunle Onitiri - Matt Oresky - Bill Stoltzfus Non-Voting Members Present - Ben Fisch - Greg Francfort - Kalla Gervasio - Jeff Moll - Adam Savitzky - Jacob Waters - Beth Wei Note: The text next to members’ names is a summary of the comments they made. Note that these are not necessarily their exact words. An audio file of the council meeting will be available on the Council website shortly. Instating the Honor Code -- Proposal Instating the Honor Code 1. Community Council will take the following steps to introduce the Honor Code to the community: 1. Before the end of the year, Mr. Stoltzfus and the judiciary coheads will make an announcement during Monday announcements introducing the Honor Code and explaining its purpose. 2. Next fall, these same people will reintroduce the Honor Code in an announcement to the Upper School. 3. Following the announcement next fall, advisors will encourage students to sign the Honor Code. 4. The Honor Code committee will brainstorm ways to remind the community of the Honor Code throughout next year in order to make the Code a bigger part of student life. 2. Community Council’s policy on signing the Honor Code will be as follows: 1. Students will neither be forced to sign the Honor Code nor punished if they do not sign. 2. Council will keep track of the percentage of students who sign the code in order to monitor the success of the Code. Rationale behind not forcing students to sign the code: - Forcing people to sign will not allow them to make a conscious decision to accept the honor code; giving students the choice will prompt them to make a decision for themselves. - Making people sign will make the code indistinguishable from the rules that we already have. The Honor Code may then become just "another piece of paper." - The point of the Honor Code is to encourage students to think about their actions. - The Honor Code may be accepted more in the community if students are not forced to sign the Honor Code. Mendy: Does anyone have any comments? Harvey Lee: We need to educate the faculty about what the Honor Code means so that the faculty can have a discussion with students. I am a little leery about putting out the Honor Code without the faculty knowing what it means. Mendy: That is a good idea. That does not require a resolution on the part of Council, but that should be a goal of Council. Mr. Stoltzfus: I would like to know when people will be encouraged to sign the Honor Code. The faculty needs time to know what they are accepting before encouraging students to sign the Honor Code. If we compare the Honor Code to marriage, people who are smart will not rush into marriage – they will get engaged. I would like to think of next year as an engagement process. I think we can vote on this if we are very smart about how we educate people. Mr. Sanderson: I don’t believe that we should give students the option not to sign this because we would be saying that it is OK not to share values that all Princeton Day School students should have. We should not be focusing on whether to sign it or not. If we are at the point where students might not sign it, then we should not be rolling out the Honor Code. We need a document that reflects the values of the school community that will push for the more honorable behavior of students. Mendy: I think you both raised valid points. The process needs to start somewhere. The proposal is a good way to start the process. I think that it is true that we need to work to educate the faculty and the students. I see the Honor Code as a way to encourage students to think about honor. If we force students to sign, then they will not have the chance to think about their decision. If we force students to sign the Honor Code, it won’t be as effective. It will be like what we already have. Dan D’Argenio: There are not a lot of good reasons not to sign the Honor Code. The promise to yourself that comes with signing the Honor Code is a lot more powerful if it is optional. Ms. Marquez: I congratulate you on the initiative. How do you make students accountable after you sign the Honor Code? The faculty has questions about the Honor Code. Perhaps you can come to the next faculty meeting and address this concern. I would like you to study whether we can keep what we have while adding the Honor Code, at least for the interim here. Mendy: I think that we can vote on this. 
Council voted on the first two parts of Mendy's Honor Code proposal. Listed below is each voting member of Council with his or her votes for each part of the proposal. The first part described the manner in which the honor code should be introduced and the second part made signing the honor code not mandatory. Voting Members - Council President - Mendy Fisch (Yes, Yes) - Council Vice President - Dan Rathauser (Yes, Yes) - Council Secretary - Andrea Spector (Yes, Yes) - Senior President - Andy Babick (Yes, Yes) - Senior Representative - Dan D'Argenio (Yes, Yes) - Senior Representative - Rebecca Freedholm (Yes, Yes) - Junior President - Hugh Wynne (Yes, Yes) - Junior Representative - Joe Yellin (Yes, Yes) - Junior Representative - Alicia Siani (Yes, Yes) - Sophomore President - Matthew Oresky (Yes, Yes) - Sophomore Representative - CJ Martino (Yes, Yes) - Sophomore Representative - Aditya Kulkarni (Yes, Yes) - Athletic Association - David Blitzer, Mary Peters (Yes, Yes) - Judiciary Committee - Ian McCue, Charlie Hamlin (Yes, Yes) - Student Activities Committee - Kunle Onitiri, Sanjeev Sharma (Yes, No) - Assembly Committee - Tanvi Goel, Craig Knowlton (Yes, Yes) - AWARE Club (Yes, Yes) - Faculty Representative - Bill Stoltzfus (Yes, No) - Dean of Council - Harvey Lee (Yes, Yes) - Upper School Deans (share 1 vote) - George Sanderson, Matt Levinson, Sarah Latham (Yes, No) Result: Parts I and II of the Honor Code proposal were passed. Part 1: 20 Yes, 0 No Part 2: 17 Yes, 3 No Mendy: Would any one would like to explain why you voted the way you voted? Mr. Stoltzfus: I would like to post my thoughts on the Council Forum online and describe a process that we might want to consider to educate the faculty. I am not ultimately opposed to the idea of not making students sign, but I took Mr. Sanderson’s reservations into consideration in voting the way I did. Harvey Lee: I voted for the proposal because the students who are going to have to sign the code were not told about the code when they decided to come to the school or when they were admitted. Next year, it would be difficult if a student said, “I don’t want to sign it” and we said, “If you don’t sign it, then you will have to leave the school.” We have to make sure about the Honor Code next year. Food Service Poll Summary
Question 1: Which proposed menu did you like better overall?
Results: Flik 56%, Culinart 19%, Unsure 25% Question 2: Would you prefer a board program, in which everyone pays a set price at the beginning of the year and can take food when they want, or retail program, in which people pay for the food they eat as they go, for PDS in the future?
Results: Retail 56%, Board 44% Question 3: What is the most important aspect of a food service provider?
Results: Good tasting food 37%, Keep snack bar open late 19%, Variety/choice of food 13%, Healthy food 13%, Open to student suggestions 6%, Low prices 6%, Good quality coffee 6% The Food Service Committee also met last Tuesday, and a majority of the members of the committee supported Flik. Mendy said that the most important thing for Council next year will be to work with the manager/chef of the kitchen so that students and faculty are satisfied with what the Campus Center offers. Blue and White Day Summary 
Ms. Thomas' plan for achieving the most Upper School participation for Blue and White Day is to have Upper Schoolers come for the picture, do relay races in the morning, go to classes while the Middle School does activities with the Lower School, and participate in other Blue and White Day activities during lunch and during the afternoon. However, there are several obstacles to Upper School participation in Blue and White Day: First, Blue and White Day is always on a Friday. It almost always has to be on the week of May 5 for the Lower and Middle Schools because the next week is Grandparents Day and there would not be enough time to schedule a rain date. The trouble with May 5, the first Friday of May, is that it is in the middle of Upper School APs. Next year, US History and European History will both have exams on May 5. Even if Blue and White Day were moved to the next week (May 12), it would conflict with Spanish Literature, Latin Literature, and Latin Virgil. Having Blue and White Day before AP exams start could frustrate teachers who need time to review. Also, the Upper School cannot miss classes for both Blue and White Day and Band Barbecue. However, one solution would be to have bands and a barbecue at the Link picnic (instead of just soda and cookies). Then, students would have more time to sign yearbooks. Comments: Dan D’Argenio: I would not like having to go into school in the middle of the day during Blue and White Day. Charlie Hamlin: Traditionally, the picture and the relay race start off Blue and White day, so it would be difficult to move it to the afternoon. Jason Ferree: Would people wearing fancy clothes during senior awards (before link picnic) make it hard for them to have a barbecue and play frisbee? Mendy: We could tell people to bring a change of clothes Battle of the Bands Summary 
Jenna Dodds planned a Battle of the Bands for last April to raise money for tsunami relief and invited area schools. The Arts Council booked free space, but since PDS could not cover the insurance the event (and hence take responsibility if something went wrong), Battle of the Bands did not take place. If the event goes well, PDS and Council would receive good publicity. However, we need someone else to insure it. Battle of the Bands might be a possibility for this fall. Comments: Mr. Stoltzfus: Right now we are discussing three topics: Blue and White day, Band Barbecue, and Battle of the Bands. We need to keep these straight in our minds and take them one at a time. Coat racks
Mr. Sanderson: I think that coat racks are a good idea. There are plenty of places around the school that we could put up coat racks. Andy Babick: Some of the places mentioned in the proposal, such as the back of the theater lobby, would not be practical. Mr. Lee: It is going to be very hard to find space for coat racks in the school. Mr. Stoltzfus: You should talk to Steve Storey. CJ Martino: I’ve been talking to buildings and grounds and I will talk to Steve Storey. Ben Fisch: Maybe we could build coat racks in Shepherd Commons between the doors and the lockers. Mendy: That was one of the places mentioned in the proposal. We’ll meet on this, and perhaps we will be able to begin by constructing coat racks in a few places before adding them in other places. Anyway, this will be a good way for Council to get involved in improvements around the school so that we can do even more in the future. Council Minutes 5/25/05 Note: The minutes include a summary of the comments made by Council members. To listen to an actual recording of this Council meeting on your computer, as well as to access previous Council minutes, go to http://council.pds.org/minutes.html. Summary - Council decided to build coat racks around the school over the summer. The School Improvements Committee will investigate the best way to do this in collaboration with Buildings and Grounds. Council decided to put up to $500 towards this effort. - Council narrowed down the Blue and White Day plans to two options: to only participate in the morning, or to participate in the afternoon and merge Band BBQ with Link Picnic. There was unanimous support for participating in the morning, but we still need to work on a plan that everyone supports for a full-day event. - Possible topics for next year were discussed (scroll to the end of the minutes for a list of topics). Agenda - 11:00 – 11:05 Swear in the class of ’07 officers - 11:05 – 11:20 Discuss school improvements/coat racks proposal and get a sense of Council vote (see below) - 11:20 – 11:35 Discuss Blue and White Day options and get a sense of Council vote on how we would like to proceed (see options below) - 11:35 – 11:45 Discuss topics on our agenda for next year Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - David Blitzer - Shira Concool - Dan D'Argenio - Rebecca Freedholm - Tanvi Goel - Charlie Hamlin - Adi Kulkarni - Sarah Latham - Harvey Lee - C.J. Martino - Kunle Onitiri - Matt Oresky - Alicia Siani - Andrea Spector - Bill Stoltzfus - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Ben Fisch - Jason Ferree - Greg Francfort - Meg Francfort - Adam Savitzky - Jacob Waters - Beth Wei Class of '07 Council members are sworn in. The results of the Council Internet Poll are introduced. (Out of 155 respondents)
Do you think the Upper School should participate in Blue and White day?
Yes, 71%
No, 16%
Unsure, 13% Would you want to participate in Blue and White day even if it meant not having a Band Barbecue?
Yes, 28%
No, 56%
Unsure, 16% Do you think that combining Band Barbecue with the Link Picnic, and having students eat hamburgers and listen to music while signing yearbooks, is a good idea?
Yes, 52%
No, 42%
Unsure, 6% Do you think that students should be required to sign their names on graded assignments to affirm that they completed the assignments honorably?
Yes, 16%
No, 75%
Unsure, 10% To view this poll, go to http://council.pds.org/currentpolls.html. Coat Racks Proposal Update Mr. Storey said that if there is funding and a go-ahead from Council, he can work with us to determine good places for the coat racks. If we vote to build coat racks now, the School Improvements Committee can work with Buildings and Grounds to find good places by the end of the year so that the coat racks can be put up over the summer. Mr. Storey did not want to start making any detailed plans until the “political business” was worked out. However, he said that hooks in Shepherd Commons would be feasible. Mendy's Recommendation
Since details about the coat rack construction can become tedious, we should leave this discussion to the School Improvements Committee. The Committee will work with Buildings and Grounds to find good places for the coat racks. Since Buildings and Grounds would prefer to prefer to put up the coat racks over the summer, we need to solidify our plans by the end of the year. Rather than vote on the proposal, which specified certain places, I think we should get a sense of Council's vote as to whether we can delegate responsibility for planning this to the School Improvements Committee. Mendy: Council has funds that we could use for the coat racks, if they are not too expensive. First, we need to find out where the coat racks would go, how many we would need, and how much they would cost. Mr. Sanderson: Is it appropriate for Council to fund this or for Council to endorse this and the school to fund this? Mendy: Council has the ability to make improvements around the school. One could argue, why should we be paying for them if other people can? Paying for the coat racks would set a precedent. Dan D'Argenio: How much does it cost to build coat racks? We need an estimate. Mendy: I am guessing that it would cost about $100 for coat racks in Shepard Commons. Mr. Tucker: Do we have other specific locations for the coat racks? Mendy: I think that we should leave this discussion for the School Improvements Committee. We hope that this will be worked out by the end of the year. Dan D'Argenio: I propose that we vote on whether we can allow the committee to get started. Mr. Lee: We should also decide how much we would pay for the coatracks, such as up to $500. Mr. Stoltzfus: What does Council usually spend money on? Mr. Lee: Our only commitment is to give donations. We do not spend money for the most part. We may help financing Band Barbecue. Mendy: We should have a real budget. Planning the budget can be a whole new area for Council to be involved in. Mr. Lee: As for the coat racks, we can split the cost with the school by going 50/50. We could work out the details with Buildings and Grounds and Steve Storey. David Blitzer: We need to authorize the research on this first. Mendy: Mr. Storey doesn’t want to start planning until we have committed to definitely having coat racks. Does anyone have a reservation against research? No one raises their hand. Mendy: We should go ahead and work with Mr. Storey. Harvey: Can we agree to vote on up to $500? Then the committee will have the go-ahead to get started. Mendy: Let's vote on whether or not we should spend up to $500 on coat racks. Council unanimously votes to spend up to $500 on coat racks. Mendy: Now let's turn to Blue and White Day. We have a number of different options. 1. Go to the Blue and White Day relay races first period. Don’t miss any other school. Leave Band Barbecue when it is. 2. Go to Blue and White Day activities in the morning and the afternoon (although not in the middle of the day while the Middle School is doing activities with the Lower School). Move Band Barbecue to a time when we would not end up missing more school. Options: 1. Have a Band Barbecue at the Link Picnic, and have people change their clothes after senior awards. This idea is fine with Ms. Sholl, but Ms. Sholl said that the Link is considering not putting out the yearbook next year until the middle of the summer so it can include the end of the year. If that were the case, we would still have the block of time free to do a band barbecue, and Ms. Sholl explained that the Link would still give out yearbook signing sheets. 2. Have Band Barbecue on the last day of school. 3. Do Blue and White day activities in the morning. Then have a barbecue on the athletic fields, which would not be used by the Middle School in the afternoon. Note: It would be difficult to reconcile this with the current schedule of Blue and White Day because the Middle School does activities with the Lower School in the morning and there would not be much for the Upper School to do. Also, at the after-school meeting, Ms. Thomas did not like the idea of mixing an athletic event with a barbecue. 4. Do not have a Band Barbecue. 5. Vote to have both Band Barbecue and Blue and White Day and then see what happens. 6. Forget about Blue and White Day. Andy Babick: AP courses take a lot of time, and Blue and White Day would take place during APs. Many people in the school do not know about the time commitment needed for APs. Mendy: We need to educate the student body since we will have a conflict with APs. Jacob: We should not vote right now whether to have Blue and White Day. There are way too many options. Mendy: We need to first figure out what Council needs to do. Then, we will be able to work over next year. Dan D'Argenio: In the beginning, I said that Blue and White Day was a good idea. Now, I think that Blue and White Day might not be a good idea since planning it would be a lot of hard work and it might not be worth it. Mr. Stoltzfus: We need to narrow down the options to the feasible ones. Mr. Sanderson: Band Barbecue on the last day of school would not be feasible because the faculty has meetings after school. Mendy: What are all of the options that we can eliminate? Council votes to keep Options 1 and 2. Shira Concool: If we only participated in Blue and White Day during first period, we could save a lot of class time. David Blitzer: Can we vote on Blue and White Day and Band Barbecue separately? Mendy: They are connected because of Option 2. Mr. Stoltzfus: Would Mr. Tucker give the go ahead for Blue and White Day? Mr. Tucker: I am in favor of using a period in the morning. Dan D'Argenio: For Option 1, Blue and White Day will hardly be a field day if we watch people race and then pose for a picture. We would be participating in Blue and White Day just for the sake of participating in Blue and White Day. Shira: Participating in the Blue and White Day race would create school spirit. Instead of students from K-8 racing, we would have students from K-12 racing. Adi Kulkarni: Blue and White Day will not seem like a Field Day unless we actually participate it. Mr. Lee: We need to look at what this day is really about. We are trying to find a way for the entire school to be together. The energy will be high. Council votes on more Blue and White Day options: Participate in Blue and White Day during first period if nothing else works: 18 in favor, 0 opposed. Participate in Blue and White Day in the afternoon: 9 in favor, 9 opposed. Mendy: If you voted not to have Blue and White Day in the afternoon, why did you vote that way? David Blitzer: It will be too hard to work it out with Ms. Thomas concerning the timing and AP courses. Mendy: This was our last in school Council meeting of the year. Thank you for coming. Some Topics for Our Agenda for Next Year - Work on the Battle of the Bands plans over the summer so that this will be an option next fall. - Work with Flik in the Campus Center to get what the community wants. - Discuss whether we should have a board or a retail program. - Discuss what we want for the renovations (construction on the new wing will take place in the back of the library all year). For example, do we want air conditioning? - Find a project that the whole school can work on and that each grade can contribute to. Then, we could set a goal for each grade. - Make sure that the Honor Code works.  Council Minutes 9/28/05 September 28, 2005 Agenda - 11:00 – 11:10: Discuss the September 11 Ceremony: what could have been improved and what should we do for next year? Discuss donation to Families of September 11 foundation. - 11:10 - 11:20: Discuss backpacks drive and Battle of the Bands. - 11:20 – 11:30: Look over results of food service survey and poll. Take any council members’ suggestions in preparation for the meeting this afternoon. - 11:30 - 11:40: Discuss presentation of Honor Code so far. What could be improved? What can Council do to make the implementation smoother? - 11:40 – 11:45: (If we have time) – Issues for next month include: - To what extent will the Upper School participate in Blue and White day? - Wagers for the Halloween parade - School improvement project: Air Conditioning? Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - David Blitzer - Dan Dargenio - Jan Ferree - Mendy Fisch - Judy Fox - Rebecca Freedholm - Charlie Hamlin - Sarah Latham - Harvey Lee - CJ Martino - Ian McCue - Juan Carlos Melendez - Dan Rathauser - George Sanderson - Alicia Siani - Andrea Spector - Bill Stoltzfus - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Molly Gallagher - Missy Rebovich Mendy: We can start by discussing the September 11 Ceremony. What could be improved for next year? We are thinking of giving a small donation to the families of the September 11 foundation. Dan Rathauser: We have a retired firefighter who will speak at the ceremony next year. Mr. Stoltzfus: I am glad that the ceremony occurred. However, it was hard to get everyone out there and there was a bit of confusion. The ceremony was wonderful, but it could be improved upon. It was more intimate once it was just the Upper School. Also, Mendy's speech was outstanding. Mr. Sanderson: I think that it would be very appropriate to give the donation to the families affected by September 11. Dan Dargenio: What is going to happen in ten years when Upper School students will not remember September 11? CJ Martino: It is still important to have a September 11 ceremony. Even in ten or twenty years, there will be people who will have grown up without a parent or grandparent because of September 11. David Blitzer: We do not want the meaning behind the ceremony to be lost for future councils. Mr. Stoltzfus: The September 11 ceremony is about commemorating the past. It is important to keep the tradition. Hugh Wynne: It is also good to bring the whole community together. Mendy: I feel that it is important to set a September 11 ceremony for the future. For next Council, I will bring a proposal about the ceremony and the donation, and then we can vote on it. Next, I want to discuss the backpack drive. The Lower School has gathered a lot of backpacks. Upper Schoolers are starting to bring more supplies. Mr. Sanderson: What is the deadline for bringing in supplies? Mendy: We were hoping to finish on Monday, but we could extend the deadline for another week. Dan Rathauser: Class representatives and presidents should encourage their classes to bring in supplies at the next class meeting. Mendy: As for Battle of the Bands, we found someone that would insure the event. PDS is planning the event and getting bands and students to come. We have a Battle of the Bands committee. We are looking to have the Battle of the Bands on the Friday of Parent-Teacher conferences. Dan Rathauser: We need to start publicizing the event. Mendy: Next, we are going to discuss the food service. I really like the food, but it can be improved. The most important things to work on is getting the Snack Bar to have more "real food." A lot of people are upset that Upper Schoolers cannot buy any candy before 1:15. Dan Dargenio: I am concerned about the pricing of the food -- it is much higher this year. Andy Babick: I agree that prices are considerably higher. I don't even taste a big difference in the food. Mr. Sanderson: I think that the food is remarkably better. With regard to prices, you need some specific facts. Ian McCue: I don't mind the food, but I don't like the huge lines. The three registers are not making a difference. Alicia Siani: There should also be more beverage options. Andy Babick: The food disappears really quickly. Mendy: The Food Service Committee will be addressing these concerns at a meeting with Flik this afternoon. Now we can discuss the presentation of the Honor Code. We tried to explain the Honor Code this week at the town meeting. We want students to understand what they are doing when they are signing it - they are holding themselves to a higher standard. What do you think? Rebecca Freedholm: It is good to talk about the Honor Code with your advisory group. However, some students signed the Honor Code during the discussion - instead, students should bring the Honor Code back in a few days, after they have thought about it. Mr. Lee: We need to discuss the purpose of the Honor Code. Council must focus on how it benefits our community. We must be clear about what this document means to us. Mendy: Any important document has a lot of interpretations. We could make a few key distinctions. Dr. Fox: We should refer to the mission statement - does the Honor Code further our mission for the Upper School? Rebecca Freedholm: We could have a mission statement that goes along with the Honor Code. Dan Dargenio: We could also create an anonymous conference on PDSnet to discuss the effects of the Honor Code . . . If people start realizing that others are working honorably, then they will see that the Honor Code does have an impact. Andy Babick: The Honor Code is very vague and can mean anything to anyone. I think that we need to have more meetings in small groups. Town meetings do not work as well. Mendy: We could do a gradewise discussion, or we could tell groups to keep on discussing it during advisory. CJ Martino: What if we had a schoolwide essay contest in which people presented their views? We could give everyone the opportunity to give their opinion. Juan Carlos Melendez: A lot of freshmen still do not really understand what the Honor Code is, since it can be interpreted in many different ways. Mr. Stoltzfus: Comparing the Honor Code to the Constitution, the Constitution had to be sold to the people. We need people committed to the Honor Code talking about it all the time. Mendy: We should decide in Council key interpretations of the Honor Code. We eventually need to come out with a paper explaining what the Honor Code is and the reasoning behind it. CJ Martino: We can address the issues that people have if we get a lot of views. Ian McCue: I like that the Honor Code leaves room for interpretation, so that everyone can adapt it to themselves. Also, I thought that the town meeting went well. Mendy: We need to put together a document about the Honor Code and then have a discussion about it. Thank you. Council Minutes 10/12/05 October 12, 2005 Agenda - 10:55 – 11:00: Swear in new members - 11:00 – 11:10: Discuss September 11 Commemoration Resolution - 11:10 – 11:15: Discuss “Gesture to Victims of the Earthquake in the Kashmir” - 11:15 – 11:30: Look at “Blue and White Day Information and Possible Plan” - 11:30 – 11:40: Discuss Halloween Parade prizes - 11:40 – 11:45: Discuss Honor Code philosophy Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - David Blitzer - Shira Concool - Dan Dargenio - Mendy Fisch - Adi Kulkarni - Sarah Latham - Harvey Lee - Brielle Manley - CJ Martino - Ian McCue - Juan Carlos Melendez - Kunle Onitiri - Matt Oresky - Dan Rathauser - George Sanderson - Sanjeev Sharma - Alicia Siani - Andrea Spector - Amy Strauss - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Niki Asimacopoulos - Jeremy Brinster - Kyle Brinster - Theo Brown Mendy: We first have to swear in the new members. The new members read the Community Council Oath: I hereby acknowledge and accept the responsibilities of my elected office and pledge to fulfill those responsibilities to the best of my ability. Mendy: Now we will discuss the resolution for the September 11 ceremony. Mendy reads the following resolution: September 11 Commemoration Recognizing the need to establish a means to commemorate September 11 annually as well as realizing the benefits of beginning the year together with all of the divisions of PDS, Community Council resolves to organize a ceremony each year that brings together all three divisions of the school on the week of September 11. Elements of this ceremony may include, but are not limited to: - Remarks by the president of Community Council - Remarks by the Head of School - Remarks by Father Dan or the senior faculty member - A moment of silence - Remarks by an outside speaker connected to September 11 - A donation to a September 11 organization Additionally, in gratitude towards the Families of the September 11th Organization for connecting us with our speaker, Frederic Schwartz, Council resolves to make a donation of $200 to the organization. “Who we are” explanation from the Families of September 11 website: Families of September 11, Inc. (FOS11) is a nonprofit organization founded in October 2001 by families of those who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Membership is open to those affected by the events of September 11, be they family members, survivors, responders, or others as well as those who support our mission. The group has two goals: - To support families and children by offering updated information on issues of interest, access to resources, relevant articles, and advocacy to raise awareness about the effects of terrorism and public trauma. - To champion domestic and international policies that respond to the threat of terrorism including support for the 9/11 Commission Recommendations, and to reach out to victims of terror worldwide. Our Board is composed of professionals who lost immediate family members in the attacks. The members of our Advisory Board bring expertise and knowledge to our organization in specific areas that ably support our goals. We are committed to offering current and accurate information, to promoting resiliency and strength, to advocating on behalf of our members and issues of importance to them, and to continuing a dialogue with an expanding group of our families, friends and supporters. David Blitzer: What does it take to get rid of the September 11 resolution in later years if students no longer want it? Mendy: The majority of Council would need to vote against the resolution. Mr. Lee: Will the donation of $200 be annual? Mendy: No, just for this year. Mr. Lee: I do not see us giving an annual donation to this foundation because most of the families were well taken care of. Dan Rathauser: We want to give the donation to the organization that has given us a speaker. Mr. Lee: I do not think that the donation ought to be included in the resolution. Mendy: We can take "a donation to a September 11 organization" out of the resolution. Let's now vote on the September 11 resolution. The September 11 resolution passes. Mendy: This weekend, there was a big earthquake in the Kashmir. Mendy reads: Gesture to Victims of the Earthquake in the Kashmir In accordance with this Council’s goal of trying to connect itself to the outside community (manifested thus far in the September 11 ceremony and the Katrina Relief Drive), Council would like to make a gesture of support to the victims of the devastating earthquake in the Kashmir. Council resolves to donate $400 and a small portion of the money raised from Battle of the Bands (to be determined after the event is held) to the American Red Cross South Asia Earthquake Response and Development Fund. Shira Concool: I think that Community Council should work with Community Service. Mendy: Council designates part of its budget for Community Service. Ben Turndorf: I am not sure that it is Council's place to donate money without working with Community Service. Andy Babick: This council has done an incredible amount of community service. Dan Rathauser: Last year, we donated about $2000. Dan Dargenio: I think that Pakistan is a good place to donate money because a lot of the people are very poor. Mr. Lee: The idea of sending money to Pakistan is important. They can do a lot with the money there. Since we spend $2000 per year on community service, what makes this a $400 disaster instead of a $2000 disaster? What makes one disaster make more important than another? Mendy: We could donate $1000. We do not know if other disasters will occur -- we might want to use the money on those disasters. Mr. Lee: We have the money available to give away now -- why don't we spend more money on the disasters that we know about? Hugh Wynne: We should talk to our classes before voting on how to spend the money. Shira Concool: I agree that we want to send money. What happened in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India is huge -- I think that we should do more than just Council giving $1000. The school could raise money as well. Mendy: If Community Service wants to work on donating more, that would be great. Dan Dargenio: I think that many people feel distanced from Community Council. Maybe we could get each class or advisory groups to talk about donating money to Pakistan. CJ: Why don't we have a school wide vote? Mendy: These are all good ideas -- we can think about this even more outside of Council. Now we need to talk about Blue and White Day. Mendy reads: Blue and White Day Information and Possible Plan 
(You can also find this on the Council Forum Conference) The Blue and White Day date next year is set for Friday, May 12. According to Mr. Tucker, it can't be any other Friday in May because May 5 conflicts with the eighth grade musical and May 19th is before alumni weekend and is also the physics trip to Great Adventure. The rain date is scheduled for May 26. This schedule raises some issues for us but does not prevent us from participating. The issues are: - Friday May 12 is the last day of AP exams. The Spanish Literature AP will be in the morning and the Latin Literature and Virgil exams will be in the afternoon. Students with these exams would have to miss activities going on when they need to take the exams. - Friday May 26 is senior awards day, so if Blue and White Day were rained out, we would not be able to participate. Question for Ms. Thomas: Could Blue and White Day or at least the rain date could be on a Monday? If that were feasible, it would eliminate our problem with the 26th. Right now we are set to participate in the relay race/picture/balloon toss in Blue and White Day in the morning. If we participated in the afternoon, we would need to shuffle around the end-of-the year schedule to not miss that much class time. A plan that Mr. Tucker would approve of if Council passed it would be: - Combine Band Barbecue and the Link Preview packet distribution so that kids would receive and sign the preview packets while listening to bands and having a party on the pagoda fields. - This event would be after senior awards, so the seniors would be around for it - Students would change their clothes after senior awards to comfortable clothes - The party would last from about 2 until 4:30 or 5 but students would be able to leave after 3:15 if they wished. A schedule for Blue and White Day with afternoon participation could be: - Morning period: Upper School goes out to be in the picture and participate in relay race/watch balloon toss - Mid-morning: Upper School goes back to class while the Middle School does activities with the lower school - Lunch to 3:15: Upper School returns to Blue and White Day for activities the whole afternoon. Question for Ms. Thomas: What activities would the Upper School participate in the afternoon? Mendy: Does anyone have any comments? Mr. Sanderson: The Upper School used to participate in Blue and White Day. A major reason that we are no longer participating is that many students did not show up for school on Blue and White Day. If Blue and White Day is just in the morning, there is more incentive for students to show up. David Blitzer: Since there are APs on Friday, it would be great if Blue and White Day could be on Monday. Also, if kids do not show up for school, it would be an indication that Blue and White Day should not come back. Mr. Sanderson: Seniors might not participate since they will be on senior project. Mr. Tucker: I support using a step-by-step process. We ought to start small and see how the morning goes. We can then plan for the following year about what kind of commitment we want to make. Also, we are not able to change the date of Blue and White Day. Mendy: If the school is excited, then maybe we can participate for the whole day. Also, since this a trial year, we can try the morning and the afternoon and see how that goes. Kunle Onitiri: Classes might not go well in the afternoon if we have Blue and White Day in the morning. Mr. Lee: As a faculty member, faculty will have to discuss this also. As Mr. Sanderson said, there is a reason why the Upper School does not participate in Blue and White Day. The fact is that kids did not come to school. We should try going in the morning, see what happens, and build on it from there. Mendy: If we did Blue and White Day in the afternoon, Band Barbecue would be moved to after Senior Awards. We would not be losing much class time. David Blitzer: If we ask people whether they will come to Blue and White Day, we will get a better sense of how many kids will come to school. Dan Dargenio: Statistics from the past do not lie. Hugh Wynne: It is probably not in our fate to have an entire Blue and White Day this year -- it was planned for the Middle and Lower schools more than for us. We can try to get the afternoon for next year. Mendy: The PE department is prepared for us -- they ordered extra shirts and everyone has been assigned as either blue or white. Aditi Juneja: An anonymous referendum would be best so that people can say what they actually feel. Dan Dargenio: Last year was not a formal vote. We do not know how people will feel about just participating in the morning. Mendy: You can check the minutes from last year -- most people wanted to have at least some Blue and White Day. Now, for the Halloween Parade, we need to figure out what the challenges will be (what the grades will receive if they win). Do you have any ideas? Andy Babick: Having the seniors take control of the Theater Lobby should not be a demand. Ms. Latham: My suggestion is that the winning class gets a pizza party and the trophy. We do not want any other demands. Mendy: Thank you for coming to Council. 
Honor Code Philosophy
By Mendy Fisch Some things to think about: The way I see it, the biggest fundamental question surrounding the honor code is whether to view the document as a personal vow or something that is a code for everyone in the PDS community. If it is a personal vow, why is it called the “PDS Code of Honor”? And if it is automatically binding on everyone in the PDS community, why give students the option to sign it or require signatures at all? Some questions on how we are going to proceed with implementing the honor code arise from this debate: - Will everyone in the community ultimately be required to sign the code? - What should the role of advisors be in getting their students to sign the code? - What do the parent and advisor signatures mean on the document? Sooner or later, we will have to answer the first question. But first I want to have some discussion on the philosophy behind the honor code, and if we all seem to be heading in a similar direction, maybe we can produce some exegesis that will help us answer the questions we need to answer. I also encourage you to discuss these questions on the Honor Code conference on PDSnet.   Council Minutes 10/26/05 October 26, 2005 Agenda - 10:55 - 11:05: Discuss "Honor Code philosophy (and questions to answer)" handout. Those who want to work on the Honor Code exegesis should sign up with Andrea at the end of Council. - 11:05 - 11:15: Discuss and vote on "Gesture to Victims of the Earthquake in the Kashmir." - 11:15 - 11:35 or 11:40: Present and discuss "Upper School Participation in Blue and White Day" resolution. We will either vote next week or form a committee to amend the proposal. - 11:40 - 11:45: Discuss next week's Halloween Parade. - Before leaving: Form a School Improvement Project Committee. Anyone who wants to pick and orchestrate the School Improvement Project should sign up with Andrea. We will have an after-school meeting to discuss the School Improvement Project before the next Council. Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - David Blitzer - Dan Dargenio - Jan Ferree - Mendy Fisch - Becca Freedholm - Adi Kulkarni - Charlie Hamlin - Brielle Manley - CJ Martino - Ian McCue - Juan Carlos Melendez - Matt Oresky - Dan Rathauser - George Sanderson - Alicia Siani - Andrea Spector - Amy Strauss - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Jeremy Brinster - Ben Fisch - Jason Ferree Mendy: We will start out by discussing the Honor Code. Mendy reads: Honor Code philosophy (and questions to answer) A fundamental question surrounding the honor code is whether to view the document as a personal vow or something that is a code for everyone in the PDS community. If it is a personal vow, why is it called the "PDS Code of Honor?" And if it is automatically binding on everyone in the PDS community, why give students the option to sign it or require signatures at all? Some questions on how we are going to proceed with implementing the honor code arise from this debate: - Will everyone in the community ultimately be required to sign the code? - What should the role of advisors be in getting their students to sign the code? - What do the parent and advisor signatures mean on the document? In order to answer these questions, we need a good process. The process that I see occurring is: - We will discuss these questions in Council today - A committee will meet before the next Council to produce some commentary on the Honor Code trying the answer the fundamental question above. - The committee will present this commentary to Council for discussion. Council will revise the commentary and eventually approve it. - Council will then decide how to answer the three "implementing" questions. Once the community has had a lot of discussion, (perhaps between Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break) we will start a campaign to encourage the rest of the community to sign the Honor Code. This campaign will include heightening visibility of the code (posting it around school), posters, and other tactics. I also encourage you to discuss these questions on the Honor Code conference on PDSnet. Mendy: Each Council, we will discuss the questions for a short period of time. We will present this commentary to the next Council for discussion. At the end of the year, we will discuss how we answered the three questions. Last year, Council talked about writing a referendum on how to perceive the Honor Code. Maybe between Thanksgiving and Winter Break, we can have a campaign to get more people to sign the Honor Code. Jason: When will we stop trying to sell the Honor Code? Mendy: The last Council voted to make the Honor Code the code of the school. It is the duty of further councils to do their part. We should spend some time talking about the Honor Code, but we do not want to force kids to sign it. Mr. Sanderson: The major issue is signing the Honor Code. Mendy: Signing should not be the emphasis of the Code. Charlie Hamlin: People are not signing the Honor Code out of protest. We wouldn't want people to not sign it because they don't have integrity. Hugh Wynne: We should have a purpose section in the Honor Code, since no one is really sure why we should have to sign it. Mendy: The committees will work on the wording of the Honor Code. Dan Dargenio: As Council members, we should try to represent the Community. If Council is working very hard to get people to sign the Honor Code, then Council is not doing the right thing. Juan Carlos Melendez: How many members of Council signed the Honor Code? Most Council members raise their hands. Andy Babick: As of right now, the Honor Code does not mean anything. Mendy: Writing commentary will help clarify the Honor Code. David Blitzer: Mr. Sanderson, do you want people not to sign the Honor Code? Mr. Sanderson: I think that signing the Honor Code blurs its purpose. Mr. Tucker: Over half of the students have decided to sign the Honor Code. Seven to eight advisers have not yet reported whether their advisees signed the Honor Code. Mendy: If you want to be part of the Honor Code committee, talk to Andrea. Now we will discuss how to help the victims of the earthquake in the Kashmir. Mendy reads: Gesture to Victims of the Earthquake in the Kashmir In accordance with this Council's goal of trying to connect itself to the outside community (manifested thus far in the September 11 ceremony and the Katrina Relief Drive), Council would like to make a gesture of support to the victims of the devastating earthquake in the Kashmir. Council resolves to donate $1000 and a portion of the money raised from Battle of the Bands (to be determined after the event is held) to the cause of earthquake relief. Following a presentation about the earthquake by the Community Service Committee, each class will be able to allocate $250 of the money to the Kashmir earthquake relief organization of their choice. The Community Service Committee will also try to raise money from students using a collection jar or other means. Mendy: For more information about Battle of the Bands, you can read the Battle of the Bands conference on PDSnet. Alicia Siani: What happens if the Battle of the Bands event does not occur? Mendy: We will still donate $1000, but I am confident that Battle of the Bands will happen. Do you want to vote now? Hugh Wynne: I really like the proposal. Council votes; the resolution passes. Mendy: We will now discuss Blue and White Day. Mendy reads: Blue and White Day Plan The administration/PE department is not prepared to have us out for a long time. We will be able to have up to 1.5 hours in the morning, though. Ms. Thomas said that during that period of time, the PE department will try to plan as many activities for us as possible. We will definitely be in the picture and two representatives from each grade will be in the relay race. Ms. Thomas said there will also be activities involving everybody. Right now, the PE department is trying to work out a faculty-student balloon toss and a tug-of-war. The final schedule will be available in March. Unfortunately, the date of May 12 conflicts with the Spanish Literature AP. I think there are around 10 people in this class (mostly seniors). I know that the aim of many here is to achieve eventual full-day Blue and White participation. Hence, this resolution: Upper School Participation in Blue and White Day Community Council is committed to establishing Upper School participation in Blue and White day, and in order to further this goal, we resolve to: 1. Endorse Upper School participation in Blue and White Day from 8 AM until about 9:30 AM. (The exact times will be determined by the PE department.) 2. Work towards broader participation in Blue and White day by evaluating this year's participation and working to add more activities and time for next year. (Council will hold a meeting in May after this year's Blue and White day to decide on actions to take for next year.) 3. Urge the administration to work with Council in May to expand Upper School participation in Blue and White day as much as Council deems prudent. 4. Clarify that this year is a trial year for Blue and White day and that the goal of this resolution is to start a tradition that will later expand. N.B. - It is our understanding in passing this resolution that the PE department will work to plan activities in this period of time that involve all students in the Upper School. We extend our gratitude to the PE department for their work to include us in Blue and White Day. - This resolution does not change traditional plans for any other end-of-the year events, including Band Barbecue. Dan Dargenio: In the morning, there will be a relay race, a balloon toss, and a picture. Is it impossible to move the balloon toss and the race to the afternoon so that we can participate in more Field day activities? Mendy: The PE department cannot change the structure of the day at this point. Council can try to encourage the administration to make more changes for next year. CJ Martino: If we decide after this year's Blue and White Day that we do not want to have a longer Blue and White Day, do we have to expand it? Mendy: If it is a horrible disaster, then we can pass resolutions against Blue and White Day. The most that we can do as Council is urge the administration to listen to what we are saying. Any more comments on the Resolutions? Can we pass this Resolution next Council? Dan Dargenio: Can we pass a resolution to pass a resolution this week? Making us wait is a joke. Mendy: We can't change the bylaws now. Dan is coming up with challenges for Halloween with the class presidents. Last year, Kyle and Jay established that the grades can present challenges. Dan Rathauser: If the juniors or seniors were to win the parade, then the guys of the losing team would put on a half-time cheerleading show at the Powderpuff football game. If the freshmen or sophomores win, then the winning class would be the first to be dismissed at Announcements. Also, the junior and senior guys would put on a half-time cheerleading show at the Powderpuff game. All of the losing presidents would need to sing a song at Announcements. Mr. Sanderson: I am curious for the needs of incentives. How big of an impact do you think that they will make on participation? Dan Rathauser: They succeeded last year in getting more people to get dressed up. Mendy: The incentives raise spirit about the parade. Dan Rathauser: The demands give students incentive to win. Last year, the juniors were angry when they lost since they did not get to sit in the Theater Lobby. Joe Yellin: Can the cheerleading be for the opposite team? Hugh Wynne: People will have more fun cheering for their own team. Mendy: We now need to discuss a school improvement project for the rest of the year. Anyone who wants to be involved should sign up with Andrea. We want the project to impact the school but it should also be feasible. Does anyone want to discuss the Honor Code more? Charlie Hamlin: How long will the Speakers Corner go on? Dan Rathauser: Indefinitely. Mr. Tucker: We can also use the Speakers Corner for other areas of discussion. CJ Martino: We should have a sign saying "to learn honorably is to live honorably" near the receptionist's desk. Mr. Sanderson: I also like the Speakers Corner idea. Instead of having students explain why they are for or against the Honor Code, they can discuss the best way to implement the Honor Code. Hugh Wynne: Some junior told me that they feel like the Honor Code is being pushed down their throat. Dan D: Since we are trying to make them sign the Honor Code, students have a reason to feel threatened. Mendy: We have to represent the students, be we also are leaders of the school. We are trying to encourage them to sign it, not to force them. I think that it is too bad that enough people are not doing the thought process that we want them to do. Alicia Siani: Some students might be doing the same thought process, but not reaching the same conclusion. Mr. Sanderson: Motion to adjourn. Mendy: The meeting is adjourned. Council Minutes 11/09/05 November 9, 2005 Agenda - 11:00 – 11:10: Discuss and vote on Blue and White Day resolution - 11:10 – 11:25: Presentation of ideas from the School Improvement Project meeting and discussion of options - 11:20 – 11:30: Update on Battle of the Bands - 11:30 – 11:40: Presentation of ideas from the Honor Code commentary meeting Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - Dan Dargenio - Jan Ferree - Mendy Fisch - Becca Freedholm - Adi Kulkarni - Charlie Hamlin - Sarah Latham - Harvey Lee - Matt Levinson - Brielle Manley - CJ Martino - Juan Carlos Melendez - Matt Oresky - Mary Peters - Dan Rathauser - George Sanderson - Alicia Siani - Andrea Spector - Bill Stoltzfus - Amy Strauss - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Jeremy Brinster - Ben Fisch - Kalla Gervasio Mendy presents the following resolution: Upper School Participation in Blue and White Day Community Council is committed to establishing Upper School participation in Blue and White day, and in order to further this goal, we resolve to: 1. Endorse Upper School participation in Blue and White Day from 8 AM until about 9:30 AM. (The exact times will be determined by the PE department.) 2. Work towards broader participation in Blue and White day by evaluating this year’s participation and working to add more activities and time for next year. (Council will hold a meeting in May after this year’s Blue and White day to decide on actions to take for next year.) 3. Urge the administration to work with Council in May to expand Upper School participation in Blue and White day as much as Council deems prudent. 4. Clarify that this year is a trial year for Blue and White day and that the goal of this resolution is to start a tradition that will later expand. - N.B. - It is our understanding in passing this resolution that the PE department will work to plan activities in this period of time that involve all students in the Upper School. We extend our gratitude to the PE department for their work to include us in Blue and White Day. - This resolution does not change traditional plans for any other end-of-the year events, including Band Barbecue. Mr. Stoltzfus: I am happy that we will be participating in Blue and White Day. I move that we vote on the resolution. The resolution passes (19 for, 0 opposed). Mendy: Since this is the trial year for Blue and White Day, we need to raise enthusiasm in the Upper School. Let's move on and discuss the School Improvement Project. Most of the people at the meeting wanted to purchase air conditioning. Mendy reads: School Improvement Project Meeting Summary (available on PDSnet) During the School Improvement Project meeting, we tried to decide on a good School Improvement Project that we could work on for the rest of the year. Most of the people attending the meeting felt that the best project to focus our efforts on would be to try to purchase air conditioning units for school classrooms. We came up with a list of reasons why this would be a project we would want to pursue: 1. Difficult to learn in warm classrooms 2. The air conditioning could be used for summer programs 3. The air conditioning will attract prospective students 4. Other schools have air-conditioning 5. In use for important time of year – beginning of school and right before final exams 6. Could be used for up to two months 7. Since we have done a lot to help the community outside PDS, we need to do a project to help the student body We also discussed how we would raise money for this project. We know we are confined to a narrow set of fundraisers, those that don't interfere with class fundraisers or the capital campaign. One idea that was brought up is challenging students to match in $5 donations whatever we raised from a fundraiser. We discussed designs for air conditioning. Wall units and portable units seem like the most likely candidates; we would do whatever was the cheapest and easiest to install. We would also try to find people in the PDS community connected to the air conditioning business to solicit their expertise and perhaps cheap air conditioning. We also discussed a homemade air-conditioning design, but we would have to build a prototype of it before we determined if it were reliable. More AC notes 1. At this point, we don’t really have any details on the kind of units we would need. We would look into portable units and wall units. 2. What we should focus on this Council is the reaction to the idea of doing as a project; as we start the project the details will become clearer 3. If we decided to move forward with this project, we would have to delegate coordination responsibilities to members of the committee 4. We are looking to raise and spend between 4 and 10 thousand dollars. What we could do is decide what rooms to get air-conditioning for if we are only able to get it for some of them. (For example, priority would probably go to the double classrooms because they can be used over the summer and they can be used for tests and big meetings.) 5. Cost of running the units will be an issue; we could try to buy the most energy-efficient models. Other Ideas We got a suggestion through the website for a snack machine. Since a snack machine would ultimately pay for itself, this could complement another project. The main argument for this is that it would provide food after the snack bar closes and on the weekends for people who are in school late. I suppose it would have to have “healthy” food. Mendy: We are limited in fundraising, but we need to raise between $4000 and $10000. We have to investigate more about the air conditioners, since we do not have enough details yet. We will start the project when the details become clearer. We will try to buy the most energy efficient air conditioners. The Council poll showed that a lot of students wanted to buy air conditioners. Another School Improvement project could be getting another snack machine. I'd like to open this up for discussion. Dan Dargenio: We need to learn more about the air conditioning. The cost does not seem realistic. We also need to consider the noise level of the air conditioning and that we have a lot of classrooms with fans. Mendy: Trying to concentrate on learning is harder when the classroom is hot. We will have to look into the noise issue. Mr. Lee: I would suggest going to the people in the school who know about this, such as Steve Storey. We first need to know how feasible this project is. The windows cannot be used to house the window units. The portable units are not designed to cool the size of the rooms that we have. We should also discuss further how important it is to have air conditioning. We use the air conditioning in my classroom quite a bit. Air conditioning is a topic that can be discussed, but before we discuss the specifics, we need more information. Mendy: Air conditioning is something that I want to think about for the rest of the year. Ms. Latham: What will the middle school think about you getting air conditioning? Also, this project may be beyond your scope of authority. Hugh Wynne: How often is the air conditioning in the theater turned on? Do you specifically want it for classrooms? Mendy: People want it to be easier to concentrate in class, so it is important to have air conditioning in classrooms. Hugh Wynne: At least the libraries will get air conditioning when we build the extension. Mr. Stoltzfus: I like the idea in theory. There are some serious structural issues to deal with; maybe the project will not be worth doing. You first need to talk to Mr. Storey. We do have fans, which we did not have before. As of now, it is not an out of the question idea. Mendy: If a committee works on this project for the rest of the year, air conditioning might be possible. We are discussing this on the PDSnet conference "School Improvement Project." If you are interested, please contribute to the discussion on the conference. As for snack machines, it might be a good solution to the fact that there is no food after the snack bar closes. Dan Dargenio: I know that the school is trying to encourage healthy eating. Students do not know who to talk to about the times that we can buy certain foods. Mendy: We would need the snack machine to serve healthier food. Also, a lot of people think that Flik's prices are too high. Andy Babick: Where would the snack machines go? Mendy: I do not know yet. Andy Babick: The snack machines might be a problem with Flik. Bake sales needed to be approved by Sodexho. Mr. Lee: This topic has a history. At one point, there were snack machines. Then the snack machines went to the ice rink. After that, there was discussion with the business office. We stopped trying. We need to discuss the healthy food issue and whether we really want them here. Mr. Sanderson: If we are discussing the availability of snacks, then the real issue is the number of hours that the snack bar is open after school. Mendy: Flik is a business. It is possible that if they are losing money, they will not stay late at the snack bar. Mr. Sanderson: The snack bar would be open if the demand is there. Maybe you should work with Flik. Mr. Stoltzfus: Someone who was not being paid at the same rate could conceivably run a modified snack bar. Why not have the Snack bar run for later hours at lower cost? CJ Martino: At my old school, the snack machines were off during the day, but would work after school. If we did that, then there would not be any competition with Flik. Mary Peters: Why can't we buy candy before 1:00? I don't think any one has the right to say what we can and cannot eat. Mendy: I agree. We need to choose a priority for Council to focus on. Dan Dargenio: People care more about being able to buy candy than they do about the Honor Code. Next week, we can bring a resolution about the candy. Dan Rathauser: Who wants to write the resolution? Hugh Wynne: I will. Mendy: I want to update everyone on the progress of the Battle of the Bands. Battle of the Bands Update -Sponsorship by Arts Council (Board voted to take responsibility) -Palmer Square Management still donating the money for insurance -Arts Council needs to hear back from their insurance company before we publicize it -The delay caused by getting the Arts Council Board to sponsor it meant we had to move the date to the night of December 10. -We should briefly discuss ways of publicizing it Hugh: We need to get some bands from more area high schools. Dan Rathauser: We have contacted most schools around the area. Charlie Hamlin: How many people will fit? Mendy: The maximum capacity is 375. 
Now we need to discuss the Honor Code. Honor Code Commentary Meeting Summary (also available on PDSnet) At the meeting, we discussed the future of the honor code once this trial year is up. The first topic that we discussed was the signature aspect of the Honor Code. We discussed two routes we can go after this year to implement the Honor Code. One route would be to eliminate the signature aspect. The argument for this would be that there has been a misplaced emphasis on signing the code. We would be able to focus more on the content of the code rather than the act of signing it. Under this philosophy, the code would be a statement of PDS philosophy like the mission statement. This would make the Honor Code more of a part of the rules. This route would also include increased publicity for the Honor Code: more discussion by Council and in assemblies, and more publicity for the Honor Code, including hanging it up around school. A similar route to eliminating signatures altogether would be to make signatures mandatory. This would keep the ritual of signing. However, making signatures mandatory might seem to defeat the purpose of having signatures at all. Keeping optional signatures but tweaking the current signing system
The argument for this position is that the Honor Code is, above all, a personal commitment, and will be the most effective if those who sign are cognizant of what they are doing and come to realize the commitment it entails. An ideal community under this system would be one in which those who signed the Honor Code tired to adhere to it and to convince other people to sign the Honor Code, but would not discriminate against those who did not sign the Honor Code. Signing the Honor Code would be an individual's affirmation of his/her commitment to the community and would therefore be undertaken when the individual felt ready. It would be PDS' goal to get students to the point where they can make this type of commitment to the community by the time they graduate. We looked at ways to tweak the signature aspect. One way would be to make signing the Honor Code more public, with the hope of making it more of a community ritual or a cool thing to do. One option was to provide a time during assembly for people who wanted to set an example of signing the Honor Code. Those who signed the Honor Code would encourage others to do it as well. Another tweak could be to make signing the Honor Code something to do once during high school rather than every year, with the hope that PDS would be able to get students to the point where they could sign it before graduate. During the meeting, we also decided that Council should draft a document that explains the purpose of the honor code, what it means to be "actively honorable," and what we should expect of those who sign the code. This would be a "Commentary on the Honor Code" and would set the tone of further discussion. We also discussed the idea of the period between Thanksgiving and winter break as a period where those who are going to commit to the honor code would be encouraged to do so. This would be coupled with increased publicity for the Honor Code around school. So far, 63% of students have signed the Honor Code, so we will count again after winter break to see how many we can find. Mendy: PDS's goal should be to get students to make this Honor Code commitment by the time that they graduate. Dan D: Hun School has a plastic card with values. We can put the Honor Code on our lunch cards. Hugh: The Honor Code needs to be more specific. It should include a definition of honor. Mendy: We can write commentary on the Honor Code about what it means to be honorable. Mr. Stoltzfus: I like the idea of public accountability for the Honor Code. CJ: What about taking a pledge? We could recite it in assembly. Andy Babick: I think it is less meaningful to have a pledge. Mendy: Meeting adjourned. Council Minutes 11/16/05 November 16, 2005 Agenda - 11:00 – 11:10: Vending machine update - 11:10 – 11:20: Candy at the snack bar proposal - 11:20 – 11:25: Dan D’Argenio’s card-playing proposal - 11:25 – 11:30: School improvement project ideas - 11:30-11:40: Honor Code discussion - 11:40-11:43: Other topics Notes on this Council: Right now we are tackling a few projects that require more work outside of Council. We will always make sure to keep Council members updated during each in-school Council meeting, and of course we would like Council members to serve on the committees pursuing these projects. We are going to present an update about the Vending Machine project but we still do not have enough information to talk about air conditioning specifics. We are using this Council primarily to introduce a few “private members’ bills.” (In Britain, bills initiated by members of Parliament rather than the Cabinet are called “private members’ bills.”) We are recessing a little bit early to rearrange the tables. Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - Dan D’Argenio - Jan Ferree - Mendy Fisch - Judy Fox - Rebecca Freedholm - Adi Kulkarni - Sarah Latham - Harvey Lee - Brielle Manley - Ian McCue - Juan Carlos Melendez - Matt Oresky - Dan Rathauser - George Sanderson - Alicia Siani - Andrea Spector - Bill Stoltzfus - Amy Strauss - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Kyle Brinster - Kalla Gervasio - Aditi Juneja Mendy: Vending Machine Update (available on PDSnet) I spoke to Chef Brian yesterday and he is fine with having a vending machine operate while the snack bar is closed. The vending machine would need to serve "healthy" food. There are two options for vending machines that we found: - Stonyfield Farms
They have a popular healthy vending program that was suggested by Chef Brian. You can see a sample vending machine here: http://www.stonyfield.com/MenuForChange/HealthyVendingProgram/VendingMachine.cfm I submitted a request to them for more information but they said that they were overloaded with a lot of schools and would not be able to tell us if they could do our area until the end of November. These guys sound professional and good-tasting, but I don't know if they will be able to do it. -Vita Vending
These people are a local company but they also specialize in healthy machines. Their website is less cool-looking: http://vitavending.com/healthy/ But the good news is I spoke to a guy from the company and he said he would be glad to do our school and wouldn't mind only having his machine run after the snack bar closed. He said we would not have to pay anything for the machine and we would, in fact, get part of the profits. He offered to send a guy down to PDS to check out where the best spot would be to put a vending machine, but I told him to hold off with that. This is obviously a smaller company, but they specialize in healthy food and seemed glad to do our school. We have a meeting with Ms. Stadulis to discuss this on Friday. Alicia Siani: How will the vending machines work? Mendy: Vita Vending said that their vending machine would be on a timer. It would not work during the day. When the snack bar closed, it would be turned on. Mr. Stoltzfus: The strength of the vending machine is that it would always be available when the snack bar is not open. There are more options at the snack bar, but it may be problematic to have someone run the snack bar all of the time. We could have students run the snack bar. Matt Oresky: Why would students want to run the snack bar? Alicia Siani: Maybe they could get community service hours. Mendy: The people at Flik might feel as though students were taking their jobs. Adi Kulkarni: The students who run the snack bar might give their friends free food. Hugh Wynne: We could set up a video camera. Mr. Stoltzfus: Running the snack bar is an outstanding job opportunity for students. I'd like to think that at least some kids are honest. Mr. Sanderson: I have seen this problem at the college level. I think that working at the snackbar is different from working at the switchboard, since there is food and money involved at the snack bar. I foresee potential problems down the road. I'd rather see Flik employees keep the snack bar open. Mendy: Yesterday, Flik kept the snack bar open until 6. They will continue to do that for a trial period. The snack bar could potentially be open later than 6. However, a vending machine could be used anytime. There are definitely concerns with both options. We will meet with Ms. Stadulis on Friday to discuss the vending machine. Dan D’Argenio: To solve the problem of kids giving each other food, it would make sense to have kids receive commission at the Snack Bar. Mendy: We will now discuss the candy at the snack bar proposal, which was drafted by Hugh. We will vote on this next week. Hugh:
Candy at the Snack Bar Resolution Community Council believes that the snack bar should be able to sell candy to Upper School students starting at 12:40 PM, as opposed to 1:15 PM. Here are some reasons for why we believe this: - Upper School students should be able to make their own decisions concerning their own bodies. - The cafeteria staff currently is not able to man the snack bar and sell candy because their lunch immediately follows the rush of students for candy. - Buying candy later in the day negatively affects performance in sporting events. - Selling candy at 12:40 would also make it easier for students who would only have to visit the snack bar once to buy everything that they want. - Candy is not any healthier after 1:15. Joe Yellin: As for a personal experience, I have a free before lunch on Wednesday so I eat early. To get candy, I have to come back later. Dan D: The original idea was that we did not want people eating candy for breakfast. Why only move the time to 12:40? Mendy: We wanted candy to be available during the Upper School lunch. Ms. Latham: Is this resolution for all students or just for Upper School students? The people who work at the snack bar might not be able to distinguish whether someone is in Middle School or Upper School. Mendy: It says on your cards what class you are in. Ms. Latham: We also need some evidence for negative performance in sporting events. Hugh: Once I threw up during a game after eating candy. Mr. Sanderson: My understanding is that Middle School students are out of lunchroom by 12:40. This addresses the concern that the workers at the snack bar would have to distinguish between Upper School and Middle School students. Ms. Latham: Why was 1:15 originally chosen instead of 12:40? Maybe it was because they did not want people having candy for lunch. We need to address that reason. Mendy: We could say that Upper School students should be able to make their own decisions. Mr. Stoltzfus: I would like to see evidence that being able to eat candy at an earlier time is good for the greatest number of people. I cannot seem to get away from the idea that this is about eating candy whenever we want. That strikes me as weak. I will vote against this resolution. Mendy: I can't argue with you about the merits of eating candy. There were a lot of students in Council who wanted candy, and we are just representing the will of the majority. We will vote on this next week. 
We have another resolution from Dan D’Argenio. Dan D’Argenio: Card Games in the Theater Lobby and Shepherd Commons Because non-gambling card games are intellectually stimulating, as are unforbidden games such as chess, and are already allowed in classrooms and the campus center, Council resolves to support the removal of all rules forbidding non-gambling card-playing from the Theater Lobby and Shepherd Commons. Alicia Siani: The theater lobby and Shepard Commons should be used as a place to do work. Mendy: Dan says that there are other games that are not forbidden. Are card games really different from chess? Mr. Lee: The rule is that games are supposed to be in the campus center. Maybe games that are not played in the Campus Center - such as chess - are overlooked. Mendy: The campus center is not available for us all of the time. Lower School and Middle School kids also spend time in the campus center. Ian McCue: If kids are playing cards quietly, then there should not be a problem. Mr. Sanderson: Head phones were seen as a way to help students study effectively. Playing cards will not help students study. Ms. Latham: If you check the handbook, then you will see that students are only allowed to play cards in the campus center. Mendy: Let's now discuss the School Improvement Project. Andy: My class believes that there should be a senior lounge. We discussed the possibility of putting couches in the mezzanine. The idea behind the senior lounge is that it would be a place for the seniors to spend time together. Mendy: Instead of having benches in one spot, we could have couches instead. Aditi Juneja: What would happen after Senior Project starts? Mendy: Does it have to be a lounge for seniors only or can it just be used primarily by seniors? Andy Babick: It does not have to be official that it is only for seniors. Mr. Stoltzfus: When I was having lunch with Mr. Hamlin, he said that he hoped we could make better use out of the space in the mezzanine. It is an unused space, for the most part. Mendy: For the last few minutes of Council, we will discuss the Honor Code. Next year, do we still want signing the Honor Code to be optional? Dan: I think that the Honor Code process has gone fairly well. Matt Oresky: I don't think that it has been successful. A lot of people do not want to hear about the Honor Code anymore. Mendy: As far as Speakers Corner goes, we can stop using the Speakers Corner for the Honor Code. We can encourage students to sign the Honor Code between the Thanksgiving and Winter breaks. 
Meeting adjourned.  Council Minutes 11/30/05 November 30, 2005 Agenda - 11:00 – 11:10: Introduction of Vending Machine proposal, questions, and discussion - 11:10 – 11:20: Discussion and voting on Candy in the Snack Bar proposal - 11:20-11:25: Discussion and voting on Dan D’Argenio’s card-playing proposal - 11:25-11:30: EnAct proposal - 11:30 – 11:40: Discussion of Honor Code referendum - 11:40 – 11:43: Battle of the Bands briefing, questions (feel free to email Mendy or Dan) Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - Mendy Fisch - Judy Fox - Rebecca Freedholm - Adi Kulkarni - Sarah Latham - Harvey Lee - Brielle Manley - CJ Martino - Ian McCue - Juan Carlos Melendez - Matt Oresky - Dan Rathauser - George Sanderson - Alicia Siani - Andrea Spector - Bill Stoltzfus - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members - Ben Fisch - Becky Gallagher - Kalla Gervasio Mendy: Healthy Vending Machine Proposal Background PDS currently has four vending machines, two soda machines by the lower gym and a soda machine and a snack machine in the rink. The machine by lower gym is currently run by 4As and a J Vending, and the machine by the rink is run by a different vending company. We are currently getting a 15% commission on the machines. One problem that we have found with the current vendors is that there is no way to audit the purchases from the machines to see if we are getting as much money from the commission as we deserve. The Upper School Council has been discussing options for providing food for students who are staying late in school. This year, the snack bar has been closing at 5 o’clock at times and at 6 o’clock at times. The snack bar is planning to be open until 6 o’clock until winter break, but because of the cost of staying open, it is uncertain that they will be able to remain open that late in the future. The objective of getting a healthy vending machine would be to provide healthy food options to students who are staying in school late and to solve the problem of the snack bar needing to close early. We have also received requests from hockey coaches and players to include healthier options in the current vending machine in the rink. Vita Vending is a local vending company that specializes in healthy vending. They are also able to stock other traditional vending options. They say that they will be able to stock all of the food that we currently have in the vending machines. We have negotiated with Vita Vending to provide us with a healthy vending machine that would be on a timer and would run from the time the snack bar closes until it opens the following morning. We would be able to set the timer ourselves. In addition, we negotiated with Vita Vending to stock all the vending machines that we have now but give us a 20% commission instead of a 15% commission. Unlike our current vendors, Vita Vending’s machines have a counter that will allow us to tell how many products the machines have sold so that we can audit them. Unless we gave Vita Vending other machines to stock, they would not be able to come by to stock the healthy snack machine. The Proposal We propose to: - Switch all current vending machines to the Vita Vending company (understanding that we will get a commission of 20% instead of 15%). The commission from the vending machines in the ice rink will remain with the Middle School Council, and the commission from the soda machines by the gym will remain with the Upper School Council. - Add a healthy snack machine by Vita Vending that will be located in or near the main building that will operate when the snack bar is closed. (The commission from this machine will go to the Upper School Council.) - Have Vita Vending add some of their healthy items to the snack machine in the ice skating rink. Additional notes: - The selection for the ice rink vending machines will be determined by the Middle School Council and approved by the administration. - The selection for the soda machines by the gym and the snack machine will be determined by the Upper School Council and approved by the administration. - The location of the new healthy snack machine will be worked out by Council, the administration, and Vita Vending, but it should be located less than a 3-minute walk away from the Theater Lobby. Some suggestions are: - Under the awning of the gym near the two existing soda machines - In the Campus Center or in the mezzanine of the Campus Center - In the back of the school in the courtyard next to the theater Contact info for Vita Vending: Steven Wolff Phone #: 201-247-2149 Adi Kulkarni: Does Vita Vending have soda machines? Mendy: They do have Coca-Cola. Mr. Stoltzfus: How does the auditing process work? Mendy: Right now, everything is taken care of by Ms. Stadulis and the business office. Ms. Lehmann also has a role in getting the money to us. Ms. Latham: Does the money go to the school or to Council? Mendy: Currently, the commission money is paid to the school, and the school pays the money to Council. Does anyone have suggestions for where the healthy machines should be located? Mr. Lee: The upper area of the Campus Center could work. At the bottom of the stairway going down from the front of the upper gym is also possible. Mendy: Ms. Stadulis said that there might be a concern about too many people not from PDS coming into PDS to restock the machines. Hugh Wynne: I like the idea of putting a machine under the stairs. Andy Babick: What kind of food would be in the snack machines? Could the food go bad in extreme heat? Mendy: Vita Vending said that the machines could be outside. Mr. Stoltzfus: I like the idea of using the mezzanine, but it would interfere with Andy's idea of a senior lounge. Dr. Fox: The senior lounge and the location of the vending machines should be separate ideas. Mendy: Perhaps next Council we can continue this discussion. We will now discuss Hugh’s candy resolution. Hugh Wynne: 
Candy in the Snack Bar Resolution Community Council believes that the snack bar should be able to sell candy to Upper School students starting at 12:40 PM, as opposed to 1:15 PM. Here are some reasons for why we believe this: - Upper School students should be able to make their own decisions concerning their own bodies. - The cafeteria staff currently is not able to man the snack bar and sell candy because their lunch immediately follows the rush of students for candy. - Buying candy later in the day negatively affects performance in sporting events. - Selling candy at 12:40 would also make it easier for students who would only have to visit the snack bar once to buy everything that they want. - Selling candy at 12:40 would reduce the lines at the snack bar when candy does go on sale at 1:15 since students would be able to make their purchases throughout lunch and not between 1:15 and when the Flik staff eats lunch. - Candy is not any healthier after 1:15. Mendy: We will strike the line about the negative performance in sporting events. Let’s now vote on the resolution. 16 in favor, 1 against
The resolution passes. Mendy: Mr. Stoltzfus, can you explain why you voted against the resolution? Mr. Stoltzfus: As I explained at the last Council meeting, I do not think that we need more candy. Mendy: Since Dan D’Argenio is not here, I will read his proposal: Card Games in the Theater Lobby and Shepherd Commons Because non-gambling card games are intellectually stimulating, as are unforbidden games such as chess, and are already allowed in classrooms and the campus center, Council resolves to support the removal of all rules forbidding non-gambling card-playing from the Theater Lobby and Shepherd Commons. The rule is that card games are not allowed outside of the campus center. Games like chess are not specified. We will discuss this next time when Dan comes back. Now we will move on to EnAct’s proposal. Becky Gallagher: As we talked about in the assembly on Monday, EnAct wants to purchase different bins to help with recycling. Since the bins are very expensive ($2200), I think that EnAct could use the support of Council to get the bins. Mendy: Generally, we make a $2000 contribution per year. We have already spent $1000. CJ Martino: I think that it is a good idea to purchase the cans, but I also think that we need to wait to see if people will not be lazy about recycling. It might not be worth spending $2200 on the cans if people do not care. Mr. Sanderson: My concern is that kids and adults do not recycle because, in their field of vision, a recycling can is not available. I think that we should buy more cans. Ms. Cutler: EnAct asks that there be a garbage and recycling can in every classroom. We also ask that custodial staff check off whether they are missing one of the cans and that there be increased recycling at special events, when PDS gives out the small water bottles. Our current red cans are especially confusing, and the garbage and recycling cans do get moved around. Dr. Fox: I think that changing the cans is a great idea. We will all need reminders as time passes. I hope that Council contributes to this cause. Mr. Lee: As community service to the school, why don't we allow EnAct be responsible for emptying paper, for example, into the right location? Individuals need to take more responsibility. Mendy: If we decide to make a monetary contribution to EnAct, we can add some recommendations for recycling. I'd like to know the full program before the money is put down. What, specifically, will the money be used for? Ms. Cutler: The money will go toward buying these garbage cans. We hope to get help raising the $2200. Becky Gallagher: I like the idea of having students involved. We would need to educate the custodial staff. Andy Babick: Isn't the Middle School worse than us? This seems to be a plan just for the Upper School. Becky Gallagher: EnAct is an Upper School club, and we still have a long way to go in the Upper School. Andy Babick: Can we add this program to the Middle School? Ms. Cutler: We have to start somewhere, and we want to start with the Upper School. Mendy: Now we need to discuss the possible referendum to the Honor Code. Between Thanksgiving and Winter Break is the time to sign the Honor Code. Should signatures be optional or mandatory? What should be in the referendum? Do we need to have a referendum? Mr. Stoltzfus: One of the central ideas of the Honor Code is giving people the opportunity to have ownership. With that ownership comes responsibility. Here is the chance to step up and take responsibility. Mendy: We are out of time. Thank you very much for coming. Council Minutes 12/14/05 December 14, 2005 Agenda - 11:00 – 11:05: Battle of the Bands summary - 11:05 – 11:15: Honor Code Referendum discussion - 11:15 – 11:25: Vending Machine proposal update, discussion, and voting - 11:25 – 11:35: EnAct compromise proposal introduction - 11:35 – 11:43: Card games proposal discussion and voting Voting Members Present - Andy Babick - Dan D'Argenio - Jan Ferree - Mendy Fisch - Rebecca Freedholm - Charlie Hamlin - Adi Kulkarni - Harvey Lee - CJ Martino - Juan Carlos Melendez - Matt Oresky - Dan Rathauser - Alicia Siani - Bill Stoltzfus - Amy Strauss - Carlton Tucker - Hugh Wynne - Joe Yellin Non-Voting Members Present - Ben Fisch - Greg Francfort - Kalla Gervasio Dan Rathauser: Thank you to those who came to help out at the Battle of the Bands. It was very successful. We had about 270 people. The money we raised will go to benefit Katrina relief victims. Andy Babick: For future councils, I think that the bands should be screened from now on. A lot of people left in the beginning because the first three bands were very similar. Honor Code Referendum Options Option 1 – no direct vote on Honor Code The Honor Code should be a document that students are encouraged to sign; signatures will be optional The Honor Code should be a document all PDS students should be required to sign The Honor Code should not require signatures but rather be a statement of PDS philosophy that applies to all students A choice would need a majority of the votes in order to win. We would have another round if this does not happen. Option 2 – Include “no honor code option” I do not believe that PDS should have an Honor Code (If you vote yes to this option, do not check anything else on this form) I believe that PDS should have an Honor Code. It should exist in one of the following ways: The Honor Code should be a document all PDS students should be required to sign The Honor Code should not require signatures but rather be a statement of PDS philosophy that applies to all students A choice would need a majority of the votes in order to win. We would have another round if this does not happen. If the majority of students vote for the second choice but none of the three options within the second choice garners a majority, we would have another round of voting on just the three options. Vending Machine Proposal (Note: further clarification on this can be found in the “Vending Machine Proposal” email on the Council Forum.) Mendy: We could put the Honor Code itself to a vote. If it passes, it would give the community more of a sense of ownership. If students rejected the Honor Code, a lot of the work that we have done up until now would be invalidated. Mr. Stoltzfus: We are obligated to have a referendum later in the year, so that vote needs to take place. EnAct Proposal The Community Council fully supports the EnAct club’s efforts to promote recycling in PDS and decrease the amount of contaminated recycling bins. Council urges the administration to work with EnAct towards the purchase of recycling receptacles that will make it easier for students to recycle, and wishes EnAct luck in its endeavors to raise money to purchase the 4-in-one recycling stations. Council recognizes that one of the causes of the contaminated trash receptacles is that there is often only one receptacle in each room, and students often end up putting all of their trash in the sole receptacle. To remedy this situation, Council resolves that there should be one trash receptacle and one paper recycling receptacle in each room. To show its support for this policy, Council resolves to work with the EnAct club to count the number of blue recycling bins and black recycling bins in each Upper School classroom, and to purchase enough recycling bins and trash receptacles to put one of each in each classroom. Council hopes that by emphasizing the need to recycle, we are setting an example for the rest of the school. The most that this will cost is $115. Each classroom now has either a blue bin or a black bin A blue recycling bin costs $3.73 x 30 classrooms = $111.90. Andy Babick: Rather than spending a long time trying to raise the money to buy elaborate trash cans, why not have someone make them for a senior project? Dan Rathauser: I think that Council would be supportive of a project. Mendy: We could give someone community service hours to work on the project. Ms. Cutler: It is a great idea, but it might be hard. Mendy: I think that we will try again with a different proposal with another recommendation and amount of money to give. What we really want to do is to show our support for EnAct’s initiatives. Ms. Cutler: I think that changing the culture is where Council can make a huge difference. Vending Machine Proposal We propose to: • Switch all current vending machines to the Vita Vending company (understanding that we will get a commission of 20% instead of 15%). The commission from the vending machines in the ice rink will remain with the Middle School Council, and the commission from the soda machines by the gym will remain with the Upper School Council. • Add a healthy snack machine by Vita Vending that will be located in or near the main building that will operate when the snack bar is closed. (The commission from this machine will go to the Upper School Council.) • Have Vita Vending add some of their healthy items to the snack machine in the ice skating rink. Additional notes: • The selection for the ice rink vending machines will be determined by the Middle School Council and approved by the administration. • The selection for the soda machines by the gym and the snack machine will be determined by the Upper School Council and approved by the administration. • The location of the new healthy snack machine will be worked out by Council, the administration, and Vita Vending, but it should be located less than a 3-minute walk away from the Theater Lobby. Some suggestions are: • Under the awning of the gym near the two existing soda machines • In the Campus Center or in the mezzanine of the Campus Center • In the back of the school in the courtyard next to the theater Mendy: Let’s vote on this proposal. The proposal passes. Card Games in the Theater Lobby and Shepherd Commons Because non-gambling card games are intellectually stimulating, as are unforbidden games such as chess, and are already allowed in classrooms and the campus center, Council resolves to support the removal of all rules forbidding non-gambling card-playing from the Theater Lobby and Shepherd Commons. Dan D’Argenio: I think that this is clearly a matter of opinion. It is not unusually distracting to play cards. Andy Babick: It seems to me that games like chess are allowed were because they are intellectual. If you go into the Theater Lobby or Shepard Commons, you will see that a lot of people are just sitting around anyway. I’d rather see kids playing cards than just doing nothing. Mendy: Thank you. Meeting adjourned.