Zoe and Josh Goldman are rewriting the definition of overachievers as they prepare to hit the ground running as sophomore and junior class president for the 2023-2024 school year. The junior class president will be Josh Goldman, a devoted baseball player and active member of the Tam community. He will be accompanied by soon-to-be sophomore class president, and his younger sister, Zoe Goldman, who is reaching above and beyond the standard of a freshman in high school. 

Both Goldman siblings have had long-standing relationships with their respective student governments, starting all the way back in elementary school. Clearly cut from the same cloth, each chose to be representatives of their classes at Strawberry Point School all the way from kindergarten to the fifth grade. However, middle school offered a new challenge, not only with its infinitely larger student population, but also with a worldwide pandemic, alienating them both even further from their unfamiliar peers. 

“My first year of middle school was put on pause when quarantine started,” Zoe Goldman said, “I was already nervous coming into school, the only thing that Covid did was delay me having to deal with my nerves.”

Josh Goldman spent his sixth and early seventh grade years out of the spotlight, and started putting a lot of focus into baseball. He had planned on making somewhat of a run for student council in eighth grade, but his middle school experience was cut short. 

Then both siblings were thrown into high school. Josh Goldman had a year on his sister, and having just exited COVID, it took a while to settle in. 

“At first I thought I might give freshman or sophomore [class] president a try,” Josh Goldman said, “but freshman year was a lot more to adjust to then I thought it would be, and it took me a while to, you know, get my bearings.” 

His counterpart did not have as much difficulty entering high school. In fact, after a couple of months of adjusting, she started to excel, joining Tam’s Mock Trial team, Honor T, and getting her first taste of high school student government on class council.

“I wanted to get as involved as possible my freshman year. I had a lot of interests that I wanted to explore, so I kind of used this year as trial and error,” Zoe Goldman said. “Doing good in school is important to me. I’d definetly say I apply myself in class.” 

Her teachers can attest to that. Math teacher Kelsey Holtzinger commented on Zoe’s behavior in her class. 

“Zoe brings something to my class that I cannot even describe,” Holtzinger said. “Her witt, confidence, and capability to comprehend and communicate her thoughts amazes me every day. On top of that, it is so rare to meet someone who can be so strongly opinionated yet so open to hearing what everyone has to say.”

Although it is a tough act to follow, it turns out the apple does not fall far from the tree.

“Josh has such a prominent voice in my classroom,” English teacher Robert Hill said. “He always is caught up on current events and adds so much to our conversations.”

            It is evident that the upcoming school year will prove beneficial for the Goldman siblings and the effort they have put in.