At the conclusion of each school year, the entire student body is given the opportunity to vote for the Student Government Association (SGA) Slate for the following year. Slate holds the highest level of student leadership in LHS. They run SGA meetings, delegating responsibilities to members, ensuring that SGA members are upholding the image of SGA, and more. Slate members must act as role models for the rest of the school, as they are representative of the entire student body of LHS.
The end of the 2022-23 school year brought forth fierce competition. The students cast their votes and elected Slate BEAM. Members of Slate Beam are seniors, Michael DeJoseph, Bianca Dublin, and juniors, AJ Berkowitz and Evie Dellacona.
This year is turning out to be an exciting one for SGA, as it is being run by new advisors and LHS alumni, Brian Donaldson and Nicole DiBenedetto.
As for Slate BEAM, Donaldson and DiBenedetto rest all faith in the members and believe that they fill their roles. “They were voted on by their peers last year to this leadership role. They have done an awesome job so far this school year,” Donaldson expressed.
Slate President Michael DeJoseph believes that BEAM has proved to be the best representation of LHS. He said, “[BEAM] brought a certain diversity to the mix that the other groups did not.” DeJoseph added, “Each member of our Slate brought something totally different to the mix — all the groups we were a part of and all these groups we were connected to. We are the best representation of LHS. As a Slate, we reached so many different audiences and have had access to so many different opinions and styles. We want everyone at LHS to be heard; we want everyone to feel they have a home in the walls of this building— this is our mission.”
Aside from his duties as Slate President, DeJoseph is extremely involved at LHS. He is a National Honor Society officer, is involved in the drama club, and likes to keep active in the community. When it was announced that the Slate that he would be representing had won the election, DeJoseph said he “literally jumped for joy.” He is extremely excited to serve the LHS community and is honored to hold the largest leadership role in LHS. “I hope to keep the great work of SGA up and honor Ms. Kirby [former SGA advisor] as she begins to take a step back from the club. I hope to get even more involved in the community than [BEAM] already is and to create a space for my peers who are just as dedicated to serving the community and our school as I am. And above all, I hope to help bring improvements to the days of those around me through the work I plan to do with the club,” he described.
Slate Vice President Bianca Dublin has been an active member of SGA since her freshman year. She plays on varsity kickline, tennis, and golf, and she is also highly active in the community. She serves as president of the LHS Women in STEM club, treasurer of Key Club, and is an avid volunteer at Sulam LI. This year with BEAM, she wants to “accomplish bringing the school together and making it a more inclusive place.” She shared, “[BEAM] plans to have many different fundraisers this year and a lot of fun.”
“[BEAM] is willing to do whatever we need to make the high school a great place for everyone. I felt extremely happy that many people believed in us, and now we can use the positions to do good for the school. I want to have a positive impact this year,” Slate Treasurer AJ Berkowitz described when asked his intentions for running for Slate. Outside of SGA, Berkowitz plays varsity football and lacrosse and is a part of many other LHS clubs. He has been involved in SGA since his freshman year and began his first year as Slate with a strong sense of optimism.
As for Chief-Strategist Evie Dellacona, she feels that BEAM was the best candidate to serve because of the chemistry between the group. “We work very well together and are especially communicative and outspoken people. These attributes allow our productivity as student government to be both stimulated and improved,” she explained. Outside of her position in SGA, she is very dedicated to her academics and school life. She serves as co-vice president of GirlUp, co-vice president of Women in STEM, and as co-founder and co-president of LEAD club. She tutors in her free time, works at a local restaurant year-round, and plays varsity lacrosse. For the remainder of her year as chief-strategist, she said, “I hope to advocate for both my peers and friends of the junior class as well as helping to reorganize SGA into a more tight-knit and efficient club.”
