At Tenafly High School, it isn’t uncommon for seniors to be scrambling around, desperate for success, but this senior has other goals. While juggling AP classes, college essays, and extracurricular activities, Max Gabel (’26) has made it his goal at Tenafly to lead with positivity. While he’s dedicated to important schoolwork, his job, and volunteering, he also spends his time rearranging desks, and making new posts to spread awareness about eating disorders. Because of this, Gabel has become a multitasking specialist who spends his busy days hopping between his coursework and his passion.
Recently, Gabel’s life has consisted of arranging events for his club, volunteering, cramming in assignments, and going to work, all while applying to college. Although his schedule is busy, as students’ lives tend to be, he manages to transform classrooms—areas which are typically viewed by students as beehives, busy with no breaks—into a calm center for awareness. Only last year, Gabel became the president and co-founder of the Fighting Eating Disorders Club at Tenafly High School, the first Tenafly has ever had. His club, which started out of his own interest, was inspired by those he valued close to him, who were affected by this illness. This wasn’t just a resume box checked off; it was a personal passion. His experience allowed him to transform eating disorders from silent battles among the halls of Tenafly High School to an educational topic, not just about physical health, but mental health as well.
Although Gabel eventually developed a thriving club, his journey to success was anything but smooth. Every September, the school becomes a Grand Bazaar of club proposals. Hopeful students line up to submit their ideas to the student organization, like it’s the only watering hole in the Sahara desert. Ideas are pitched, repitched, and forgotten, like the forbidden spices on a vendor’s table as the market winds down. Advisors are found, people are recruited, and the cycle repeats annually. Initially, Gabel’s idea was pushed aside, but he didn’t let go and kept persisting and proposing his idea until the school recognized its importance.
For Gabel, the rhythm of multitasking has become second nature to him, a choreography performed without missing a beat. He says that “balance comes from knowing…[his] priorities,” and his philosophy appears to be working, as he steadily switches between planning out fundraisers and submitting school assignments. It’s not unusual to spot him darting through the halls to get to his next class, or visiting his club advisor, Ms. Lieberman, for approval of the next club meeting. His backpack thuds behind him like an overworked washing machine. Although deadlines are tight, and time is scarce, the show must go on. Gabel makes sure to design posters and organize events, treating each task as a bone in a spine; it might seem slight at first, but without it the whole club wouldn’t successfully come together. His determination to create an atmosphere of awareness is his ultimate goal before the final bell of his senior year rings.
Gabel doesn’t allow the sallow brick walls at Tenafly High School to restrict his abilities to make a change. In fact, one of his proudest moments was when he was able to take his club to the Tenafly Middle School, to educate younger students about the importance of understanding eating disorders, and their impact on those who suffer from them. The visit started out as a tranquil, shy atmosphere, where students would seldom raise their hands, or maybe just ask a question or two, but by the end, the room was buzzing like a freshly shaken snowglobe, as the club successfully made the students comfortable enough to ask important questions, despite the depth of the topic.
Like most seniors here at Tenafly, Gabel will be packing his bags soon, off to begin a new chapter in his life, trading the familiar bustle of the town we know and love so well for someplace new. But this is something that he is determined to bring with him. This club has taught him more about being a leader than any other experience he has ever had. He learned that it isn’t just about being heard, but it is also about being understood and accepted. Though his senior year is stuffed to the brim, Gabel will forever embody the skills he has learned from being the leader of Tenafly’s FED club. Throughout the upcoming years, he plans to spend his time creating advocacy and urging for safe environments anywhere and everywhere.
