Chelsea Seegars, Class of 2022, has been elected Upper School Student Body President for the 2021-2022 school year, and she has already established a list of goals she, along with the Upper School student council, hopes to accomplish next year. I recently discussed some of these goals with Chelsea, and I think The Wick’s readers will be eager to hear her clear and ambitious plans and vision for Agnes Irwin following a year of academic unpredictability.
Chelsea has been a student at Agnes Irwin since third grade, and she has always contributed actively and enthusiastically to the AIS community. One of the primary ways that she’s served our school and its organizations has been through holding leadership positions; in eighth grade, she served as a representative of AIS’ Eco Board, and she has been involved in student council for all three years of Upper School. She’s enjoyed the work StudGov has done to make Agnes Irwin an inclusive, vibrant and multi-faceted institution, but she’s always felt a need for a greater focus on student issues by AIS’ leadership.
In response to my question, “What’s one thing about AIS you think needs to change or improve?” Chelsea expressed a hope that the student council would be more proactive about identifying and resolving specific issues faced by Upper School students, particularly the changeable and sometimes confusing schedule. Over the past few years, the weekly schedule for classes has been altered and rewritten repeatedly, sometimes to the dissatisfaction of Upper Schoolers, and Chelsea hopes to play a role in creating next year’s schedule to ensure that it addresses and reflects students’ wishes and needs. It wasn’t just Chelsea’s desire to participate in positive change and promote the voice of the students that inspired her to run for President, however. She said her friends and teachers were equally instrumental in motivating her to pursue this role, as they always encouraged her passion for leadership and pushed her to go after her most ambitious aspirations.
Additionally, Chelsea’s appreciation for the diversity of our school sparked in her a desire to represent the AIS student body. When asked what she loves most about Agnes Irwin, Chelsea remarked that “everyone here is passionate about something,” whether it be Robotics and engineering, writing for The Wick, playing a sport, or performing in school productions, and she admires the ardor and dedication with which AIS students apply themselves to their respective activities and interests. She noted the value of creating environments that are conducive to all forms of learning and expression, and under her leadership she hopes to foster just such an environment to accommodate the varied learning styles and skill sets of AIS students.
Some of her other plans for Agnes Irwin next year include hosting a dodgeball tournament for Upper School faculty and students and giving donations to causes that “students and teachers care about.” Chelsea said she’s especially determined to increase students’ involvement in service-related activities, and she believes in “combining service and fun” to produce a well-rounded school community that serves the broader world while also providing students with ample opportunities for individual expression and enrichment. With the specific objective of increasing interest in community service efforts, Chelsea plans to give Upper Schoolers freedom in how they choose to fulfill their service credit so that they’re encouraged to support a cause to which they truly feel connected. As Chelsea observed, the Upper School is beautifully diverse and every student has a distinct passion or niche, so it’s important that our service options reflect our student body’s wide range of interests.
