Students should be in every room where decisions are being made on their behalf. Students desire to experience a sense of significance, be given more importance as a student, and have their concerns be taken seriously. Students having a role in helping make decisions could help all these needs. However, many students don’t know how these decisions are made, or even who makes them. Our students’ voices should play a part in the verdicts of these decisions. Students have expressed their interest in being heard about the dress code policy, dance locations and themes, the phone policy, and more. These are all topics that can include students but aren’t necessarily the main priorities of the school. Being included in these small decisions could help students get used to voicing their opinion.
Every student deserves the chance to express their voices and their concerns about our school. Students also receive freedom of speech, and that speech deserves to be acknowledged. District superintendent Mr. John Hamstra encouraged this idea, and advocated for more students to contribute to these conversations, stating “I want more of it, I’d prefer more of it.” This statement has been verified by the freshman student president Isabelle Sparks and vice president Kalli Mobley. They have been involved in multiple of these conversations and have had the chance to vote on topics like the float building or the location of coronation.
When asked about students participating in school decisions, Mr. Hamstra stated that when it happens, it usually is two or three students who are members of the student council or the Hope Squad. Students have expressed their concerns about there not being enough student representation, with Freshman Lillian Messer affirming that “one or two students don’t speak for the rest of us.” Of course, it is understandable why the student president and vice president would be involved in district decisions. However, many students that aren’t a part of the student council have no opportunity for their voice to be heard. Many students feel that they never get a chance to have any input in the outcome in the decisions that are being made. When they aren’t told when or how these verdicts are going to be made, it makes it challenging to be an involved member of our school. Having easier access to this information or a better system would get more involvement from the student body. It would also get more student participation and help them be up to date with any new information.
Involving students in these decisions would teach them that they have a voice and how to use it in a safe and respectful way. This is an important thing for all students to learn, as this will not only help them during school but also when they get a job or go to college. Knowing when and where to express your opinion is a very important overall skill that has been lost due to people being scared to have an opinion that isn’t what everyone else thinks. We need to teach the next generation by giving them a voice–even if it is in these small school decisions, it is still a good place to start. This is a school meant to teach us life skills and help us grow, so give us support to be able to develop our voice. Creating a system that gives each and every student an opportunity to be involved in decision-making for their school is necessary here at Harrison.
