Isaiah Stephens ’25 and Eleni Kontokosta ’25 ended their term as all-school presidents at graduation on Friday, May 30.

Stephens came to school as a Prep from Ellenwood, Georgia. He was a two-year co-captain of Varsity Ultimate Frisbee, co-captain of Cross Country, member of the Speech & Debate Team, and Upper Mid class president.

Kontokosta arrived as a Prep from Long Island, New York. She was a two- year co-captain of Girls Varsity Tennis, singer in Calliope, peer listener, and board member of the Greek Club.

Why did you want to be all-school presidents?

IS: I knew I had a passion for service and a love for the community. I also believed that I had the capabilities to be a strong leader. In my first three years, I wanted to focus on what it means to embody the ideals of our community and inspire people on a large scale.

EK: I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone. I had some leadership qualities, but I wanted to put myself in a position where I had to apply those qualities on a larger scale. Serving with Isaiah has helped me grow as a person and leader.

Why did you choose to run with each other?

IS: Eleni and I had been in structured study hall together. She had a mindfulness, awareness, and sense of organization that I respected. She was very on top of her work, and that was something I lacked. Eleni and I were also friends. I think it is important to have a real bond with your co-president, because we have to hold each other accountable and collaborate.

EK: I chose to run with Isaiah because I knew his quality of speaking and his ability to engage with an audience was indescribably impressive. That is something I seriously lacked in the beginning of our presidency together. I knew that running with Isaiah would help me improve on those qualities.

What were your favorite things about being all-school presidents?

IS: My favorite part has been representing the school. At the beginning of the year, we had a Zoom meeting with about 300 prospective parents and students, so we were able to show them the best that Hotchkiss has to offer. Being a representative of the school embodies our values of community, service, and commitment to one another. I love being able to inspire people around me, and having people look up to us, knowing that we are making a positive impact on other students.

EK: My favorite part about being all- school president was having the ability to represent the school in the best way possible. As a person with a genuine and profound love for Hotchkiss, representing the school through Zoom calls, Revisit Days, and media has been a real joy and gift for me. I know how much I love this school, and I wanted to share that love with the whole community.

What were the initiatives you were most proud of?

IS: On our Appreciation Day, we wrote about 250 cards for dorm housekeepers,  which  is  really important, because it emphasizes a sense of humility throughout our community and awareness of every member on campus. I think sometimes we get too caught up in work, athletics, and arts that we forget about the people who make it all possible. By writing to dorm housekeepers, students show their appreciation to a group that has lacked the recognition they deserve. When we distribute those cards at the end of the year, we hope that staff will know that their work has not gone unnoticed and that the community appreciates them.

EK:  Game-day  announcements on Fridays during All-School have brought the school together by uniting people from different sports, grades, and levels of teams. It takes a lot of courage to go on stage in front of a huge crowd, and it is not easy to get the whole school enthusiastic. I applaud the students who have gone up there. I like the idea of being able to announce the games and commemorate our teams’ successes and hard work. I hope that this initiative is continued and improved on in the future.

What were your biggest challenges?

IS: I think our biggest challenge was communication with the student body. We used All-School to make announcements, but we could’ve also talked about some of the initiatives we had that didn’t go through. We had a lot of ideas that we proposed that didn’t go through. The majority of the community thought that Stu- Fac disappeared, but didn’t take into account the number of speakers we’ve had. There were also a lot of religious ceremonies that created scheduling conflicts with Stu-Fac. People didn’t realize these scheduling issues. They just saw that there was no Stu-Fac. It was our job to communicate this to the community, and we should have been more transparent.

EK: One of our biggest challenges as trying to encourage people to participate in events. I think that there are many students who don’t fully participate in the Hotchkiss experience.

What is your biggest piece of advice for next year’s presidents?

IS: Embody the vision. At one Girls Varsity Basketball game, they were down ten points at halftime. Mr. Soulemon Toure and I led the crowd by getting them hyped and bringing the energy. When you talk about energy, spirit, and showing up for people, the all-school presidents have to represent that vision. People who see them will be more likely to follow their lead and adhere to that same enthusiasm.

EK: Be more proactive, not reactive, regarding engagement. I think our school lacks community sometimes, and we struggle to come together for events. Don’t be afraid to stand up and push with enthusiasm for games, music concerts, and other events.