Reese Friedman
What specific improvements or changes would you like to make to Tabor if you’re chosen as co-head of school, and what concrete plans or initiatives would you put in place to make those happen?
I said this in my speech: a big thing I really want to focus on for next year is improving traditions here at Tabor. I think traditions really help foster a strong sense of community.
Some examples could be three major dances throughout the school year, one during each season—something people can look forward to and count on. I also think there are smaller traditions we should make sure we continue every year, like Color Wars and Spring Fest.
There are so many different traditions that could happen or be strengthened next year, and I really want to focus on making sure those community-building events are consistent and meaningful.
What values are most personal and important to you, and how will these values shape your leadership style and the way you work with your other potential co-head?
I talk about this in my speech as well: empathy and persistence are the two values that matter most to me.
I’ve always valued empathy in my leadership roles. I think it’s extremely important to be able to see a situation from someone else’s perspective when making decisions and to go beyond just your own friend group’s point of view. That’s something I’ve always kept very personal and central to how I lead.
Persistence is also really important—making sure that everything is followed through on, and that ideas don’t just get talked about and then never actually happen. I think avoiding empty promises is extremely important in student leadership.
What’s your favorite aspect of the Tabor community, and how do you intend to strengthen that part of the community?
I was choosing between three schools before I came here, and I ultimately chose Tabor because of the community. I thought there was a really strong, welcoming sense of community here.
Because I love that so much, it’s something I really want to focus on. I want to make sure everyone has a positive experience here, and I want to give back what I’ve gotten. Making sure everyone feels valued, heard, and respected is extremely important to me, and that’s how I plan to strengthen the community—by building on that sense of belonging.
Is there anything else you’d like to add concerning any of these topics?
Another concrete plan that I’m certain I want to make happen is a “Be An Alum” network. I got the idea from Boston College—they have an Eagle Exchange program, which I thought was super cool and really unique to that school.
It’s basically a program where you’re connected with an alum, and you get to speak with them one-on-one about your career path. I thought for Tabor, after speaking to a bunch of my friends and classmates, that a lot of people would benefit from hearing directly from successful alumni.
It would be great to hear from an alum’s perspective and set up a program that feels authentic to Tabor. It would be helpful for networking, but also for guidance and inspiration. That’s definitely something I want to make sure gets across and becomes a real initiative.
Liam Martin
What specific improvements or changes would you like to make at Tabor if you’re chosen as co-head of school, and what concrete plans or initiatives would you put in place to make those happen?
I’m separating my initiatives into a few categories, as I mentioned in my speech. One category is ideas I’ve already spoken to certain deans about.
Some initiatives I already have confirmed from those meetings are:
A school-wide field day
Food during study week
A class village for all grades
I’m also looking into some more ambitious ideas, like:
A winter bubble over the turf
Hot and cold recovery options for athletes
I met with Mr. Jaccaci about dress-down Wednesdays, and he said he would be open to exploring it. I’ll also work on waivers related to the waterfront and car permissions for day students.
Lastly, I’m working with Marc London, this year’s senior class chair, on keeping prom ticket prices as low as possible. I’ve already worked with him to present a plan to parents about lowering prices, and I’m excited to continue that next year. For example, last year, tickets were $100; this year they are $65. I plan to continue that momentum and try to get them even lower.
What values are most personal and important to you, and how will those values shape your leadership style and the way you work with the other co-head of school?
The biggest values in my leadership style are showing up, taking responsibility, paying attention, and especially leading with empathy.
A thing I really enjoy doing but I also do well is I try to show up for everything. I try to do as many things as possible, and that’s something I would bring as a co-head: being present and engaged in all parts of school life.
Through my time at Tabor, I’ve learned to take responsibility for my actions—positive or negative—and that’s something I want to model. I want to take responsibility for what I do and be super transparent with the entire Tabor community about what I’m doing and what I’m working toward as co-head.
Paying attention is also key. If someone needs a one-on-one conversation with me—not even about co-head matters, just about being a member of the community—I want to be someone who really listens and is willing to put other people’s priorities above my own. As co-head, it’s not about me; it’s about serving other people.
What’s your favorite aspect of the Tabor community, and how do you intend to strengthen that part of our community?
I have a lot of favorite parts of Tabor, but I think my favorite is how we come together at events. For example, football games, hockey games, Spring Fest, or other big school events where our entire school unites as one—either against a common opponent, or toward a common goal, or just to have fun together.
That feeling is one of the most rewarding things about Tabor, and it’s something I want to build on as co-head. I plan not only to create more opportunities for us to experience that, but also to lead. At certain games or events, I want to be the one motivating others, getting out there, and being willing to put myself in an uncomfortable position if it benefits the community.
One of my big goals is to strengthen the connections between teams, dorms, and grades. I want to do that by bringing some of my initiatives to life, like a school-wide field day. At that field day, we wouldn’t just break people up by grade or by team; we’d mix seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen on every team, uniting everyone as one Tabor, not just as separate grades.
I also want to bring people together through traditions, like class dinners. Field day would bring all four grades together, but class dinners—similar to the senior 100-day dinner, but each grade—would make each class closer as well. I think bringing the classes closer will help bring the whole school together, because we’ll all be more comfortable with each other.
Dario Spoljaric
What specific improvements or changes would you like to make at Tabor, and how would you make them happen?
First thing I want to do is try to initiate sleep-ins on Thursdays, because I believe a community that can sleep in and rest is more engaged — more ready to interact and have deeper conversations. I’ve already started talking to Ms. Ham about the process for that. It would really just be discussions between administrators and adjusting the schedule for next year.
Another thing I want to do is have more class events — like what me Angelica and Reese are doing right now for our class with the BC–BU hockey game. We have a really unique opportunity here at Tabor to go do things like that, and I don’t think we’re taking full advantage of it. We have class budgets, for example, and we’ve only used half of ours to do this one event. That means we could do another thing in the spring — go to a city, go to Boston, go to a sports game, just really enjoy time together. This should be some of the most enjoyable, least stressful times of our lives, and we should take advantage of that.
I also want to continue working with the dining hall. I think I’ve made some good changes already by meeting with Tim and going over the menu. There’s some stuff coming up soon that I think people are going to enjoy. I just want to keep that collaboration going and keep listening to student feedback.
And then events overall — I think we can do a better job as a student body. I think if the Dean’s Office and administrators trust students more, we can take more ownership of events and make them feel more ours — what we really want. That trust goes both ways, though. We need to trust them, and they need to trust us to experiment a little and figure out what works.
What values are most important to you, and how will they shape your leadership?
I think commitment is the first one. Being committed to goals, but especially committed to people — to the community. Not just treating it like a title or something for a resume. I don’t want to get to the end of senior year and be like, “Okay, I got into college, I’m good.” I want to make lasting change that actually stays here for future classes.
Second is respect. There are a lot of different groups at Tabor, and not everyone wants the same things. Leadership means respecting people’s opinions and understanding that what works for one group might not work for another. It also means respecting traditions — the things that have happened here before — while still trying to create new ones.
And probably courage. I know it sounds a little cliché, but having the courage to say what you think and go after change is important. I’m not afraid to speak up. Whether it was pushing for dining hall improvements or talking with administrators about leadership initiatives, I’ve already tried to take initiative. I want to keep doing that — being willing to step up and advocate for students.
What’s your favorite aspect of Tabor, and how would you strengthen it?
My favorite aspect of Tabor is that it feels like home.
I’ve gone to a lot of different schools, lived in different places, different states, and I’ve always struggled to find a place where I really feel involved — where I’m happy, have lots of friends, and actually want to put in the work to make it better. Ever since coming to Tabor two years ago, I think that’s been the place.
Tabor has meant so much to me as a home. The faculty here have led me and taught me so much. I’ve grown academically — I learned to love math here, my English has improved — but also socially and personally. I’ve just grown a lot.
So my answer is simple: it’s home. And I want it to be a home for as many people as possible. Whether your real home is five minutes away or ten or twenty hours away, everyone should feel like they belong here — like they have friends, can go to events, share their ideas, and improve themselves.
Angelica Smith
What specific improvements or changes would you like to make at Tabor, and what concrete plans would you put in place?
Specific changes I would like to make would be more on the community side of things — more grade bonding activities. I feel that at the beginning of the school year we do a lot of bonding to get to know each other, but then it kind of dies out in the middle and end of the year.
So I would want more fun trips as grades, like the BC–BU hockey game for the junior class, but also implementing things like that for freshmen and sophomores in future years. Just continuing that grade bonding throughout the whole year, not just at the beginning.
What values are most personal and important to you, and how will those values shape your leadership style and the way you work with other co-heads of school?
I think the most important values I have are compassion and really giving people time — listening to people and understanding where everyone’s coming from. Everyone has different ideas and comes from different groups and backgrounds, and I think learning more about different people really brings the community together.
I also think listening to other students about what they want — especially for activities — is important.
Those values will help me work with the other co-heads of school because I try to be open-minded to new ideas, not just stick to my own thoughts. I want to take into consideration what other people have to say so we can make the school and the community better overall.
What’s your favorite aspect of the Tabor community, and how would you strengthen it?
My favorite aspect of the Tabor community is how many different backgrounds people come from.
As a boarder from another state, even just in my dorm there are people from different states and different countries. You get to learn new traditions and ways of living, not just in your dorm but also in your classes.
I want to help day students understand how special that is — how unique it is to have so many different communities come together — and include that more in activities. Just encouraging people to learn more about different backgrounds, because that’s something I really value about coming to Tabor.
Co-Heads Photograph by Bailey Benzak
