The Banner interviewed Ben Feldman this week to discuss his senior year experience, being involved in several clubs, including student council, and what he’s gained from all the years at Harriton. Keep reading to get helpful advice as well as Student Council insight.

HB: Midterms ended just a couple weeks ago. How do you prepare for tests like these?

BF: I’ve had the same method for midterm prep since ninth grade; I start by writing out all the units that will be tested on the midterm for each class. I then make a schedule; I put rows of seven sticky notes on the wall in front of my desk so it resembles a calendar, with each note representing a day of each week. I’ll then break up the classes so that I study one unit of each class per night. After making the schedule, I can come home from school, take the day’s sticky note off my wall, and focus only on the units I’ve planned for that day.

HB: If you had to give one piece of advice to underclassmen as a senior, what would it be?

BF: Do the activities that interest you, not the ones that interest someone else or a college admissions officer. I was on the Science Olympiad team in ninth grade, for example, but at some point realized it wasn’t for me. I made the decision to stop doing clubs that I didn’t really love, which gave me the time to do the ones that have become an integral part of my Harriton experience.

HB: You’re involved in many clubs, such as Student Council. What are some others?

BF: I am the Secretary of the Student Council. I am also an officer/president/captain of HHS-TV, Art Club, LD Debate, Mock Trial, and HSL. Besides those, I do Model UN/World Affairs, Book Club, and Latin Club. I write for Corinthian and Think Magazine, and, at times, the Banner.

HB: Do you ever find it hard to balance outside of school clubs with homework?

BF: Naturally. It’s regularly difficult to balance time commitments. Managing schoolwork isn’t as difficult for me as managing clubwork, which gets difficult when several clubs meet at the same time.

HB: Why did you decide to join Student Council?

BF: I’ve always been interested in government/politics. I ran for WV President in 8th Grade (and lost), but still wanted to be a leader in the school community.

HB: How has your role changed over the years?

BF: For a while, I wasn’t very interested in participating in Harriton Student Council. Freshman year, I was in Communications, but for the most part I just did what I was told to do. Sophomore year, I was in Internal Planning and knew that I wasn’t making a big impact on the Council. At some point, however, I gradually became more and more interested in helping the Council in unique, specific ways. It was an important moment, recognizing that I had something to offer and that I could use my abilities to improve the Council. Most prominently, I thought that we should be using more media platforms, like the Ram Report, to get our news to the student body. Junior year I was a co-chair of Tech Committee, and started pitching my ideas to the officers for making the Council more effective. I ran for Secretary hoping to improve our methodology for communication with the student body.

HB: What is your favorite part of your participation in Student Council?

BF: I love the teamwork that I see on a daily basis. I have great co-chairs in my committee, and a great core group of members that always help out. We held a full council art-making session exactly three weeks before the show, and I loved seeing everyone come together to do what they could to meet our goals. It was also great to see several members of the committee put in the extra effort to help with poster hanging/cleanup (Grace Morrissey, Nadia Romanazzi, Angelina Astillero, Shaka Ramanathan, without whom we would not have nearly as much success).

HB: What is the part you will miss the most next year?

BF: I’ll miss Mr. Harriton the most. I think it’s a tradition so unique to Harriton High School and one that I might not see anywhere else. I’ve come to have a great respect for how much work goes into every detail of planning the show, and I’m sure I’ll want to come back next year from college to see it again.

HB: What would you say to people who were considering joining?

BF: Student Council is a great way to get involved in the Harriton community, to learn about leadership, and to find a place where your skills can make a great impact on the school in general. I used to worry that the school had no spirit, but then decided that I could make a change to that. If you want to make a change, you can.