One of the suggestions that came from the parent meetings we held in February was that we reinstitute
the Student Council.
Needless to say, the students were overjoyed at the prospect of having a forum in which
they could contribute to their self-governance, a must in a democratic society. Obviously, there had to be a considerable
amount of education before the actual organization of a Student Council could take place.
First, we introduced
the idea to the upper grades, the ones who would ultimately take the leadership role in forming and continuing the Council.
We talked with them about how the Council would work, the role the Council would play within the school, the limitations that
would be apparent [such as not voting that the school day would consist of recess and lunch!], how their decisions would
be incorporated into the school, the process by which they would present their decisions to the school administration, the
responsibility they would have for the decisions they make, the responsibility the officers would have in listening
to the needs of the students, the standard to which the other students would hold the officers, how to conduct the
election, how to prepare for the election, how to design a platform, how to communicate the platform to the rest of the
students, and, finally, voting for their officers.
After the preliminary instructions were completed, voting took
place among the sixth- seventh- and eighth-graders. Candidates spoke to the other students about why they thought they
should be elected and how they would conduct the duties of their respective offices. Parents would be very proud of
how well the students performed. Anyone who has ever spoken to his/her peers knows how difficult this is. It was
the first public speaking experience for almost all of the students, but they were outstanding. Some even were able
to make their presentations without notes; others read theirs; still others delivered their remarks with notes as guides.
The voting was done exactly as it is done in other governmental entities historically: A secret ballot, counted
by disinterested persons [two teachers picked at random], and a student collecting the ballots to insure the one-person-one-vote
process. The President was selected first on a separate ballot to mimic the national convention format; the others
were selected on a ballot that included the Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer, just as is the case in adult voting.
Only the teachers who counted the ballots knew how many votes each candidate received. After the count,
the teachers simply announced the winner. This is slightly different from regular voting procedures; however, we felt
it important not to diminish the dignity of any student by announcing how many votes each received.
The winners
then met with the President at lunch in his office and discussed how they would continue. The first order of business
was to determine the day and time of the meetings. In this case, the President, [who will be the faculty adviser for
the remainder of the year] had to select the day and time because his schedule is not too flexible. The second order
of business was to decide that for the next couple of meetings, it would be necessary to learn how to conduct a meeting.
Each Wednesday at noon, the officers will meet with the President in his office and begin the process of the officers learning
how to present their wishes for the benefit of the whole.
We offer our congratulations to the new officers:
President - Hannah Petit; First Vice-president - Tristan Ashcraft; Second Vice-president - Andrea Semilia; Secretary - Theresa
Pierce; Treasurer - Bree Durbin. Theresa and Bree are eighth-graders, and, as a result, will need to
be replaced when they graduate; Hannah, Tristan and Andrea are seventh-graders, and will be available next year
to train the new Secretary and Treasurer.
We also congratulate all others who were courageous enough to
put their names on the line by becoming candidates for office. This is a difficult position into which to place oneself,
knowing there is a possibility of not winning. These students are to be commended for doing what most adults do not
and would not do. While we have compassion for those who did not win, they are, nonetheless winners in our minds for
taking the initiative to venture into a real-life gamble.
After the initial orientation process to develop skills
in conducting a meeting, the first item on their agenda will be to develop a school spirit program which might include
pep rallies, spirit clothing, etc. The officers are presently gathering information from other students in this regard
and will bring their findings to the table as soon as they learn details about rules of order.
We are delighted
with the response we had from the students and hope this is the beginning of a voice from our students, one we will respect
and guide as they develop their self-governance skills for adult life.
God bless until next week.
