Student opinion: The need for a student advisory committee

First of all, I believe that it’s important that students’ voices are heard when it comes to decisions that directly affect us. For example, two years ago it was decided that all junior high students must take either band or choir. If the school board could have heard the opinions of some students in junior high, then maybe a fine arts class wouldn’t be required, or other alternatives would have been offered. I understand that the school board has to make decisions on what’s best for the school, but I believe that being able to hear what students have to say could help the school board members make better decisions because they will be more informed about how students feel.

A student advisory committee would not only help the school board understand how the student body feels, but it would also bring awareness to issues that maybe aren’t brought up during meetings. Because the school board members aren’t students, they don’t know all of the problems that happen throughout the year. Because school board members probably only hear their own children’s experiences, they don’t always know the whole story. A student advisory committee would help ensure that all students’ problems are heard. 

So how would this work? The student advisory committee would attend every school board meeting. Members would be selected through a process similar to the one used to select NHS members. This way we can ensure that the students who are selected not only are in good standing within the school, but they also have leadership skills and character traits that would help them speak for all different types of students. Anyone in grades 7-12 can become members, but only high school students can become officers. Officers are the only members allowed to present to the school board, but all members can attend meetings.

I am not the only student who believes that a student advisory committee would be a good solution either. Many students, including junior Haley Kube, also believe that a student advisory committee would be beneficial to the school. 

Overall, I believe a student advisory committee could help our school in so many different ways. It would give students an opportunity to not only speak up about their own problems but help other students bring awareness to theirs too. It would teach students to have a voice and speak up about issues in their lives. Because of these reasons, I believe a student advisory committee would be a perfect addition to our school.