During the first two months of President Donald Trump’s second term, he has enacted numerous executive orders that could impact the members of Marlborough’s community. The administration and faculty have been working to keep the student body informed of the Trump administration’s new policies, such as new immigration policy enforcement and threats to abortion rights, and aware of the ways the School can help protect them from any potential adverse effects of the policies.
Head of School Jennifer Ciccarelli said her goal is to keep the student body informed while remaining completely nonpartisan.
“The goal is always helping our community to be informed citizens. And a side to that goal is to make sure that we are not being partisan,” Ciccarelli said.
On Feb. 11, Ciccarelli sent out a school-wide email to Marlborough students. The message recognized that new federal actions may cause concern among the community. Ciccarelli also wrote that Marlborough does not receive federal funding as a private institution, and the School will continue to shape policies that reflect its “mission, vision, and core values,” regardless of external pressure from the government. The letter concluded with a reminder to stay unified as a community and to reach out to school administrators or mental health professionals with any concerns.
“Feeling safe is about more than policies and education — it is about standing together as a community that truly lives our values,” Ciccarelli said in the email.
The letter also encouraged students to attend the School’s Pushing Perspectives series, which aimed to educate the community about various topics relating to Trump’s policies. Marlborough alumna Ileana Najarro ’11 hosted the first Pushing Perspectives on Feb. 12, which discussed immigration policy changes and student rights. Ciccarelli also highlighted discussions hosted by the Organized Latinx Exchange (OLE), Marlborough’s Latinx affinity group.
Co-leader of OLE Kika Moreno ’26 said it is important for Marlborough’s administration to meet with affinity groups as more executive orders come out that may threaten their members. She said that prior to Ciccarelli’s meeting with OLE, members felt ignored and like their concerns were not being addressed by the administration.
“We think it’s important because OLE and the Latino population on Marlborough’s campus is quite small, so it is very often overlooked and unaddressed,” Moreno said. “That was something that led to a lot of discontent among a lot of people in OLE who felt like other current events had gotten a lot more attention from the administration.”
Ciccarelli reached out to OLE prior to the executive orders, but the affinity group used her meeting to advocate for various initiatives for Latinx people that they would like Marlborough’s administration to adopt. One such initiative was to perform admissions outreach to Latinx students to expand their demographic in the Marlborough student body.
Ciccarelli said the best way to keep the community educated about the recent presidential actions is by fostering conditions in which students can explore topics they are curious about and become well-informed citizens.
“However students decide to advocate for a position or not, that’s not our job to say,” Cicarelli said. “Our job is to create the conditions so that students can have those conversations and figure out what they think.”
The second Pushing Perspectives took place on Friday, Feb. 21. The session was hosted by Debate Coach and Program Head Adam Torson and focused on the basic definition of an executive order and explained its powers without discussing specific opinions.
Ciccarelli said she prioritizes hands-on conversations with Marlborough’s affinity groups to stay in touch with their needs and goals.
“It is important because people at Marlborough and Latina students at Marlborough need to know they are heard, appreciated and understood and that they are not alone,” Moreno said.
