Principal’s Advisory has implemented a new system this year in order to hear from a more diverse groups of students.
In previous years, Principal’s Advisory required an application process and met during the school day.
“We used to have it once a month, and that seemed very disjointed, so we moved it to every other Wednesday. We wanted to hear more student voice, and we wanted to hear it more often. I never turned anyone away, but there was an application process, and anyone that applied and went through the process was on. But did that process capture every student that had a voice? No. I think that was a big enough hurdle to prevent students from trying,” said Principal Dr. James Roscoe.
Students as well have found the new style welcomes new opportunities.
“I think it’s good that it’s being made available to everyone because this increases the points of view being brought to the table and gives more opportunities for light to shine on issues that could get overlooked,” said sophomore Lily Pinkowski.
During sessions, Principal’s Advisory gives students a chance to communicate directly to the principal about issues in the school.
“We cover things such as how to improve our school and how to encourage students to get involved in school activities. Overall, Principal’s Advisory’s main goal is to encourage communication between the teachers and the students to better the school community,” said senior Sarah Vander Ploeg.
Student’s opinions helped redesign the methods the College and Career Center uses to reach out to students.
“We talk about anything the students want to bring up. One of the big things was that students wanted to know more about the College and Career Center, and if I didn’t hear that from students I wouldn’t know that College and Career wasn’t working well. So they’ve done a few things from redesigning, to being more proactive, to using more technology. So I’m happy to say we have made some positive changes there,” Roscoe said.