Incoming Lincoln Academy Student Body President Otto Schoenthal ‘25 (left) and outgoing Student Body President Gavin Peck ‘24 (right).
Lincoln Academy elected a new Student Body President in early April. Junior Otto Schoenthal will take the reins from senior Gavin Peck, who has served as the 2023-24 Student Body President.
Schoenthal was elected by the students and faculty at LA. “The race was close, but the ranked-choice process offered a clear winner,” said LA Student Council Advisor Jenny Mayher. “We had four great candidates this year, and they ran a positive, ideas-oriented campaign. We are lucky that such motivated students are excited to take on leadership roles at LA.” The other candidates in the race were juniors Noa Burchesky, McKenna Dunstan, and Lilly Rosa.
Schoenthal lives in Southport, and has been at LA since ninth grade. He is a member of the varsity basketball team as well as the sailing team. This will be his first position in student government.
The duties of the Student Body President include setting the agenda for and leading student council meetings, communicating with the student body, and meeting regularly with school leadership.
“I am hoping to make the student council more transparent, so people can actively see what we are doing and how we are doing it,” said Schoenthal. “I hope to make it clear where student council has the power to make changes. Hopefully this will help get more people sharing more ideas for us to work on.”
The Lincoln Academy student council helps plan student activities including Homecoming, Winter Carnival, and the winter dance, as well as addressing student concerns and serving as a go-between between the student body and the administration. Recent student council initiatives have included addressing parking lot congestion, helping streamline lunch period passing time, and helping re-open bathrooms that were closed due to vandalism. Student council members are elected by their classmates and meet weekly during the school’s Focused Learning Block.
Outgoing Student Body President Gavin Peck is finishing his term in May, and will graduate with the Class of 2024 in June. He will help Schoenthal transition into the new role during the remainder of the school year. “I am proud of the people I worked with, and how we have worked together this year. There is never enough time to get everything done that you want to do, but I hope that I have helped leave behind well-prepared ground for the student council to grow from. I know it is in good hands with Otto!”
