Monday, January 20, 2025
Wantagh High School students Danny Donahue and Isabella Kugal are hoping to make a difference as co-presidents of the Student Council by encouraging their peers to make a positive impact in their community.
Donahue, a junior, and Kugal, a senior, have been Student Council members since they were freshmen, but this is their first year as co-presidents. Their goal is to engage the entire student body with activities that bring awareness to several issues, such as food insecurity, bullying and mental health.
Last month, Donahue and Kugal mobilized students to write letters of gratitude to veterans at the Northport VA Medical Center. Donahue remembered writing similar letters to veterans when he attended Forest Lake Elementary School and wanted to continue the tradition as a high school student.
Students were given a format about what to write, thanking the veterans for their service, and they were encouraged to add something personal, such as a connection to the veteran.
“We really wanted to show our thanks to those who don't really have friends or family this holiday season, because they're veterans in the hospital,” Donahue said.
Wantagh students wrote more than 100 letters, which Donahue then delivered to the medical center, he said. This initiative, he added, was the first that the Student Council co-presidents had organized themselves, and they were excited to see how it panned out.
Also last month, students participated in the Battle of the Classes, an annual food drive in which each grade competes to see who can donate the most food. Donahue and Kugal helped organize the event, collecting canned and boxed goods. Around 300 items of food were collected, they said, which were organized into 10 boxes to help feed families in Wantagh for Thanksgiving, with the rest being donated to local food pantries.
Battle of the Classes is one of the school’s greatest undertakings, Donahue said, and the council co-presidents encouraged students to participate by informing them that there are those who are less fortunate that struggle to feed themselves and their families.
“We emphasize that we're so fortunate to be able to not struggle, and then we highlight that other people are struggling with things that we take for granted,” Donahue said. “Since we have the opportunity to give back, we should be taking up on that opportunity.”
This month, the Student Council is holding a clothing drive, with students bringing in shirts, pants and other articles of clothing that’ll help keep families in need warm this winter. For Donahue, it only takes a little bit of effort to make a difference.
“We're trying to emphasize school spirit and a sense of community within the student body,” he said.
Donahue and Kugal expressed hopes of organizing an event each month to help different causes. In January, they plan to encourage Christmas tree donations to mulch companies, turning the trees into mulch for the environment. In March, they will continue the trend of helping the environment with Earth Awareness Month, and would like to work with the school’s environmental clubs to create a community garden. Kugal said the council will need approval first, but believes it would be a great way for students to see how much of an impact they can make.
“We wanted to raise awareness for environmental issues, and kind of do a project where it's really showing what we can do as a community to help this issue,” Kugal said.
Other projects include creating an anti-bullying sign in February, with students signing it. The co-presidents also want to highlight autism awareness in April, with the Student Council establishing a showcase in the main lobby and lunchrooms, two of the school’s most frequented areas, for students to gather information about autism.
“We (will) put famous people who have autism that people might not know about, and we (will) put up facts about autism and bring awareness to it in that way as well,” Donahue said.
From May to June, Donahue said council members want to prioritize mental health awareness. In addition to a showcase, they want to set up mental health breaks in class where teachers shut the rooms’ lights to give students a five-minute rest.
Donahue and Kugal said they are both passionate about helping out with different causes. Kugal noted that it is gratifying to work with members of Student Government, who also want to contribute by making positive changes in the community.
“I'm just super-proud of myself and both of us and all of Student Government, that we're the leaders of this change,” Kugal said. “We can make an impact for those who are not able to have these types of things.”
