As Superintendent Patrick Shelton finished his debrief on next school year’s start date, a line of student ambassadors took the floor at Monday’s board meeting.
A large percentage of the student population has never heard of the Student Advisory Board, a program created by the superintendent to help connect students and faculty when making decisions.
The group currently consists of a mixture of sophomores, juniors and seniors. They meet once a month, outside of the school board meetings, to discuss potential or current problems at EHS, along with possible solutions. From there, they work with the school board to put their plans into action.
“The [Student Advisory Board] was created to give administrators and district personnel student insight on larger topics that impact everyone who walks the halls of EHS,” said senior Case Warner, student representative to the board.
Warner serves a separate, specific purpose to the group, acting as a direct bridge between students and administration.
“Really the uniqueness of [my] position is that I attend every student advisory meeting and then compile our discussions so I can bring all of our opinions back to the board,” Warner said. “As I am the only one who actually sits with the board, I am like the vessel for so much information regarding student views.”
Vice President Amulya Girada spoke Monday night on the board’s purpose and recent accomplishments, one of which took effect this year.
According to Girada, the dress code has been a controversial topic for years. Students, teachers and parents have argued consistently over the necessary degree of involvement that the district takes in what students and teachers wear to school.
The Student Advisory Board held discussions concerning this issue, considering each opposing side of the argument. This process led to a narrower dress code – a policy most students appreciate.
“[With the Student Advisory Board], we are able to…come to compromises on issues and respect each other’s perspectives,” Girada said. “We haven’t had many problems with [the new dress code] since then.”
President Jacob McKey said the group hopes to continue its work throughout this year.
“We plan to increase student involvement in decisions about restroom and hallway issues along with things like student involvement in new clubs and creating more events to increase school spirit,” McKey said. “We’re a new club, ourselves, so to create a foundation that allows the future members to be able to do things, make differences, that would be great.”
