Local Politicians Share Insights With Middle School Leaders

12/11/2025

“All politics is local” took on new meaning last week, when middle school student leaders met with Dobbs Ferry officials to learn about their paths to municipal government and the importance of leading with purpose.

Students involved in the Middle School’s Student Leadership Board and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion groups welcomed Mayor Christy Knell, Deputy Mayor Jessica Galen P’33, village trustee (and Masters School doctor) Dr. Nitin Gupta and village trustee Donna Assumma. The Student Leadership Board coordinated the visit, and Julian Atkins ’30, middle school co-chair, facilitated the panel discussion.

The officials highlighted a core message of advocating for positive change. “If you stick with it, things can get better,” Galen said.

Atkins is confident that attendees gained useful insight during the event: “It was a positive moment for students to hear from people with really strong real-world leadership experience. They provided a lot of helpful tips and insight that I think benefited everyone.”

Reflecting on the visit, Head of Middle School Tasha Elsbach said, “It was great for students to hear that being a leader is something anyone can do. The panelists emphasized that many of them were up there because they saw something they wanted to make better in the town. I hope our students realize that the start of leadership is wanting to do something to help your community.”

Galen was thrilled that students demonstrated deep interest in hearing from local leaders. “It was amazing to see how engaged the students were on what could be considered a dry topic,” she said. “I loved hearing the questions they had during the open Q&A at the end — it's clear that there were so many leaders in that room looking to find ways to give back to their communities.”