To kick off boarding life for this new academic year at Concord Academy, Bianca Horner ’25 and Jake Xu ’25 were elected as the Head of Boarders and Vice Head of Boarders, respectively. Historically, these boarding life leaders organize events that bring the whole boarding community together. Such events include but are not limited to: SHAC nights, weekly house competitions, and late-night exam week snacks.
Bianca is excited to collaborate with other members of Boarding Council (BC), to organize regular events. She stated, “I see this position as a great opportunity to unite the CA boarding community and catalyze change." In the upcoming year, Bianca aims to maintain traditions like house competitions and house food on Saturday nights while also seeking feedback and input from boarders. She plans to work with BC to implement changes that better meet boarding needs.
Jake seeks to build new aspects of boarding life while maintaining traditions. However, he does not want to spoil anything just yet. Jake stated, “Just know that there has been a lot of thinking—and playing—behind the scenes of Boarding Council events, and I cannot wait to show you what we have in store this upcoming year.” He looks forward to meeting new faces and contributing to this year’s unique boarding council.
The rest of BC is composed of leaders for each boarding house. Rey Kassam ’25, Akira Trivisvavet ’25, Christine Cevallos-Lozano ’25, and Ejemen Omonzane ’25 leading the female-identifying houses, while Mike Soto ’25, Isaac Chan ’25, Henrik Gombos ’25, and Ryan Santos ’25 lead the male-identifying ones. The Head of House acts as the older sibling of the house, and helps make everyone feel that CA is their home away from home. Their responsibilities include conducting nightly check-ins, hosting fun house meetings, and organizing house competitions a few times each month. Additionally, they collaborate with other members of BC to discuss and address boarding issues, aiming to enhance the overall boarding community.
Rey is excited to get to know the boarding community and serve as a role model for her house. She has several new ideas for the boarding community, such as organizing sleepovers as part of community weekends and starting monthly discussions on open communication, respectfulness, and conflict resolution. Rey believes that these initiatives will help foster a closer bond within the houses and the broader community.
Likewise, Akira looks forward to the small house bonding events. She also hopes to cook for everyone in her house and host more food events for the boarding community. She hopes that get-togethers like this will make the boarding community feel even closer to home.
Christine is eager to bond more with her housemates and get to know everyone personally. “I hope to bring a sense of comfort and build a second home for my fellow boarders like past Boarding Councils have done for me,” she stated.
Similarly, Ejemen looks forward to working with fellow BC members and cannot wait to meet everyone who will be in her house. Ejemen seeks to bring energy and good vibes to BC and those within her house.
Mike feels lucky to be a leader that others can trust and look up to. He aims to have fun and make some amazing memories in his last year at CA. Mike said, “I’ve been a quiet person my first two years, and though I am getting better at it, I have always had trouble opening up.” He hopes to be the person to help others and acknowledge that they are not alone.
Isaac hopes to bond with each and every one of his housemates. Like Akira, he finds comfort in cuisine. He stated, “I want to bring a sense of community and weekly pan-fried dumplings.”
Like Christine, Henrik wants to uphold the values of his past leaders. He remembers when, in his freshman year, his Head of House organized a casual trip to Cumberland Farms. Everyone had such a good time, and this trip brought the house closer together. Henrik aims to create a similar environment for boarders next year.
Overall, the new, 2024–25 Boarding Council is looking forward to a bright boarding life. It would be an understatement to say that boarders, current and new, should be thrilled to be a part of CA’s boarding community.