2024-25 Sophomore at Large-Cassie Marvitz!

As the school’s newest arrivals, sophomores play an important role in Student Council, since having representatives from all classes is crucial to their success. The Acronym had the opportunity to interview one of IMSA’s sophomores-at-large, Cassie Marvitz. Here’s what she had to say about her position!

1. Why did you apply for soph at large? 

I first heard about the sophomore at large position during welcome week. I was talking with a group of people about it, and they were saying that sophomore at large was able to represent the sophomores and help improve their quality of living throughout the school year. I had been on student council before at my old school, so I really wanted to continue that here at IMSA, so that’s why I decided to apply for sophomore at large. One of my big passions is being able to make change in the community, so by being sophomore at large, I saw it as an opportunity to stay connected.

2. What do you want to see changed at IMSA? 

One of the main things that, when I applied for IMSA, I wanted to change was mental health days. At my old school, mental health was talked about a lot. [They] were very aware and [encouraged the mindset of] ‘hey if you need a break, take it.’ But, here at IMSA there’s not really as much of an opportunity because if you take that break you’ll be missing essays, tests, and things like that. So, what I wanted to do at IMSA was to really improve the root cause of why people are taking mental health days, and address the people that don’t know how to handle the stress in a way that will be productive.

When I talked to a lot of the sophomores here, it kind of seemed like we weren’t in the loop about things unless you knew someone that was an upperclassman or someone that was giving you info. I wanted to change the communication between sophomores and upperclassmen, and try to bridge that gap between them so the sophomores are able to kind of have a preview of what the years ahead will be [like] and gain knowledge from upperclassmen.

3. Did you have any experience at your old school with leadership/student council before applying for soph at large? 

The main position I had [on student council at my old school] was treasurer. I applied just for fun, and I got it. One of the main things they had me doing was working alongside the old treasurer since I was a freshman, I didn’t have that much experience. We were working on mostly the budget and finances with the clubs. Based on what I’ve seen here at IMSA, the structure is a lot different. I was also on board for Girls into Engineering, Math, and Science (GEMS). I was in charge of planning monthly events for them.

4. What projects are you currently working on right now/what is StudCo focusing on right now? 

There’s a lot that StudCo is focusing on right now. One committee I’m on is the revamping foundations committee. We just had a meeting with Dr. White about the grading scale and the lectures. I’m sure anyone who has gone through foundations or moving and learning knows the class and its unique structure compared to the other classes here at IMSA. We met with Dr. White to talk about how to make that better for incoming sophomores.

The other committee I’m on is the big sib committee. I  haven’t worked as much with that one so far, but I know we are working on trying to get the big sib to [have] a closer relationship versus just like the first week of school. A lot of people I know have just not heard from their big sib after that. They’re trying to get a better connection between the big sib and little sib.
One more committee I’m on is the archive committee, which is a really interesting because we essentially go into the archives and look at past projects that we could reinstate.

[StudCo] overall, is really trying to focus on having the student body collaborate well with the staff, teachers, and parents as well. And improve the IMSA experience!

5. Any advice for prospective soph at large applicants? 

One of the things I wish that someone had told me when I was applying for sophomore at large was that you should branch out and talk to so many people. I remember at first the deadline for the speeches was three days before I found out I was a candidate, so I had almost zero time to talk to people and be like ‘hey, I’m running, this is why.” When they extended the deadline, I was able to branch out and talk to people who later on were like, “I voted for you because you made that connection with me and you talked to me.” So, I’d say that if you’re running for sophomore at large, definitely branch out and don’t just talk to your own friends.

6. What’s your favorite subject? 

It used to be ELA, before coming here. But I think after coming to IMSA it’s now math because I really like the collaborative aspect of it. I like the way [Ms. Dowling] runs her class.

7. Favorite food and why? 

There’s a lot to choose from, but I’d say my favorite food is probably potstickers. If you know me, you’ll see that there’s three bags of potstickers in the [wing] trash can at all times. My mom and I used to make them all the time, so it’s kind of like a comfort food.

8. Favorite memory at IMSA so far? 

My most memorable memory so far was when [03] had the fire alarm two times in a row. At school, everyone is a different person versus when they get back to their dorms. I saw people that I was like, “woah, you look different than you do in school.” You kind of see into the personal lives of people.

9. If you could listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

The one song I could listen to for the rest of my life is “The Day That I Met You” by Matilda Mann.

Making up one third of the IMSA population, especially on Student Council, sophomore voices matter just as much as any upperclassman’s does! Thank you again to Cassie for this interview!