Hello Everyone and Good Evening,

My name is Shir Levenson and I am currently serving as the Vice President of the 2025-2026 High School Student Government.

Our Student Body President, Micah Bidner, was unable to be here this evening. I would like to say a few words on his behalf.

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the Gift that the Schechter community has been to me specifically. Schechter has allowed me so many opportunities that I would never have been provided at another school. Where else can students be on varsity sports teams and leaders of academic activities? Where else can students spend one-on-one time with faculty and then lead a club? Schechter is a special place, that provides students with hundreds of different opportunities and paths to take.

So, I want to thank each and every one of you for supporting our school, because just as Ofra says “It is the hidden treasure of Long Island.”

Thank you, 
Sincerely, Micah Bidner

Now, I want to take a moment to discuss my background and how I got into student government. At school, I am involved in a number of clubs including co-president of Cavod, President of Environmental, and founder and president of the book club. I am also an editor for both Paw Print Now and Paw Print Magazine. I am the co-caption and the cross country team, and now, the vice president of the student government.

I decided to run for this position because I truly care about our school and I want to have a role in ensuring that Schechter continues being a warm place where every student feels proud to be part of our community.

The student government works to provide for the students by facilitating fun programming, always making sure there are snacks around, or helping plan grade activities. Last Year, the student government, spearheaded by Micah, worked with the administration to establish a Student government designated bank account. Thankfully, after months of hard work, this dream became a reality. This student government bank account is now in place and helps the student government become more organized and fiscally responsible, allowing us to manage our funds more efficiently and effectively.

Since our new Administration took office just a few weeks ago, we have already begun to implement new initiatives in school.

A few weeks ago during during AP Week we gave out free treats to Upper School students in between tests and review sessions. During the first week, we had a free cereal breakfast, complete with different types of cereal and milk, to bring some joy and support our students during a stressful time. During the second week of APs, we surprised students with free munchkins from Dunkin, just to put a smile on their faces. A few weeks ago, during the Subway Series and after Knicks wins, we held a pop-up sports spirit day.

On the Jewish life side, we have also begun our Minyan initiatives with the goal of making it a more uplifting and inspiring start to each day. Last week, I led the first alternative Minyan where we discussed Israel’s second-place winning Eurovision song “A New Day Will Rise” by Yuval Raphael. We discussed the song and explored its connection to prayer. Another one of our goals is to build a Tefillah Advisory Board. This group of student leaders will work together to implement initiatives during Tefilah that they think will make it more meaningful. This past Friday we also posted our first parsha update on Instagram, one of many weekly parsha lessons that are to come. Additionally, just a few weeks ago we began announcing the name of the weekly Parsha, and any other Jewish calendar events, during our morning announcements along with continuing to announce the days of the war. 

We're reforming how clubs operate at Schechter to ensure they run consistently and effectively. This includes introducing a new student government role—Club Manager, held this year by Mikey Benlevi—to serve as the main liaison between clubs and the administration. We're also launching a digital platform, Club Hub, to track attendance and progress, with a goal of every student participating in at least two clubs.

We're also excited to boost school spirit through fun, engaging initiatives. This includes bringing back our mascot, Hector, hosting more pep rallies and assemblies, and supporting our sports teams. We kicked things off at the Boys Varsity Volleyball Semifinals last night with free snacks, drinks, and spirited giveaways like necklaces and sunglasses. We’re also designing new sports merchandise to keep the Schechter spirit strong all year long.

Another goal we are working towards is a revamp of The Wing, our student lounge, to make it even more inviting and functional. Along with seasonal and event-themed decorations, we plan to add student artwork, professional photos, and study tools. On the store side, we’ll soon accept Venmo and Apple Pay to make it easier for everyone to purchase snacks and drinks. The Venmo and Apple Pay go into the dedicated student government account that we established this year.

Lastly, I want to thank you all for your ongoing support of our student government efforts, and support of our faculty and administration. You are the scaffolding that holds us together and enables us as students to learn, grow, and thrive at Schechter. Thank you!