Introducing Next Year’s Student Co-Heads of School

The Tabor community has elected juniors Reese Friedman and Dario Spoljaric as student Co-Heads of School for the 2026–2027 academic year. They carry a large responsibility: They will lead the student body, serve as liaisons between students and administrators, and work to foster a sense of inclusion, leadership, and community identity. Spoljaric, a boarding student in Matsumura House, and Friedman, a day student from Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, are both up to the task.  

Friedman is a member of the girls varsity basketball team. She also plays varsity soccer and tried lacrosse for the first time when she arrived at Tabor. This spring, she’s making the shift to crew, and she looks forward to a new adventure. Spoljaric, meanwhile, is a dedicated rower who trains and races year-round. They both say that they’ve most enjoyed their classes in English and history over their time at Tabor. Friedman calls out her AT United States History class as her favorite class this year. Spoljaric also points to Chair of the Mathematics & Computer Science Department Will Becker as a teacher who serves as a guiding light for him at Tabor. “Mr. Becker is just an amazing person,” he says. “He has been such a role model.” 

Friedman says that she and Spoljaric plan to impact the student body’s sense of community. “We have a lot of ideas on how we can bring the community together next year,” she says. “I think that’s one of the most important roles as a Co-Head: setting a good example for everyone.” Spoljaric adds that they both want to “be more hands-on with Tabor and bring student voices to the administration to help make the Tabor experience even better. We want to use our ability to do what we can for other students.” 

“Tabor wants everyone to succeed, build each other up, and learn from mistakes, which is valuable,” Spoljaric continues. “This is such an amazing place. I love Tabor because it allows me and other students to explore all possibilities, really engage with them, and practice them well.” Friedman recalls the phrase “the people make the place,” and says it fits Tabor well. “My teachers, my coaches, there are so many people I look up to here,” she says. “Tabor has a really nice community, and I feel lucky to be able to grow here.”  

Friedman shares that she’s excited to step into the role. “It sounds fun,” she says. “Bringing ideas that can benefit our community and seeing how they can affect every person around me is really cool. I’m going to learn a lot about who I am and how I can become a great leader for those around me.” Spoljaric, meanwhile, stresses that he values servant leadership. “That’s something we both really try to embody,” he says.  

Spoljaric and Friedman have a big year lined up, but they still have wishlists of things they want to accomplish before leaving the shores of Sippican Harbor. “I want to start a club,” Friedman shares. “I plan to major in political science in college, and I want to create a club with the purpose of creating space to learn and talk about global current events.”  

“There’s always so much to do here,” Spoljaric says. “There’s always so much I want to try and dive into. Both Reese and I want to make Tabor even more of a community. We have a great identity and sense of self already, but there’s also room for us to create our own traditions and describe the school in our own way.” The duo is batting around ideas. “We have so many things we want to work on,” Spoljaric shares. 

Individual ideas aside, Spoljaric and Friedman both feel that what’s most important about their work will be what they leave behind for their successors. “We want to find new ways to work with the administration and make it easier for future students to put their ideas forward,” Spoljaric says. Friedman agrees: “We want to create change here,” she says, “and make sure that everyone around us feels supported in that. We care a lot about everyone in the Tabor community, we both truly love this community, and it’s important to us that we get a chance to make it better.”