Mira Bohannan Kumar ‘20, the student body president, yelled out numbers, sounding like an auctioneer as the senate discussed club grant allocation. 

“Do I hear a 300? Alright, 300 it is,” Bohannan Kumar said. 

The senate discussed on the morning of January 22 the specific amount of money to be allocated to the clubs that had made requests. At their last meeting, they discussed in small groups the requests, and made their final decision at the latest meeting. 

“I think the senate is pretty happy with how it ended up, although we always want to give everyone everything they asked for,” Bohannan Kumar said. 

Out of the budget of $2,000, Magic the Gathering Club was granted $100, Mock Trial was granted $350, debate was granted $400, Sparkle cheerleading was granted $300, Business Partners of America was granted $350, Tabletop Roleplaying Games Club was granted $100, and Environmental Club was granted $300. The grants will be finalized and the money will be distributed to the clubs. 

“It was a quicker process than I was expecting to compromise on amounts,” Bohannan Kumar said.

After finalizing club grants, the senate discussed the Valentine’s Day dance on February 15. Currently, there is no DJ available, and the senate is looking at student volunteers to create senate-approved playlists. Additionally, there will be no collaboration with Interact’s Matchomatics, which had been previously discussed. 

“We’re working it out. I think it’s important to problem-solve and I’m glad we’re giving the students the opportunity to participate in this way this year,” Bohannan Kumar said regarding finding a DJ for the dance. 

Aala Basheir ‘22 also gave a report on a meeting with Assistant Principal Scott Jespersen regarding a potential commons renovation. Any additions to the commons must be able to be removed from the room. There were proposals of lighting, adding the vending machines from the cafeteria, and buying artwork from the City High art show. The senate will discuss a budget with Jespersen for the renovation with further discussion. 

“The current situation with the commons isn’t working because the librarians feel that the library is being misused. In order to fix this, we need to tackle the commons,” Basheir said. 

Lastly, the senate discussed drives for prep books, where upperclassmen can donate to students who will be taking standardized tests in the future. Student senate is open to anyone and meets on Wednesday mornings at  8:15 am in Mrs. Gibbens’ room.