Have you ever had an idea on how to improve VHHS but didn’t know how to voice it? Have you ever had a school concern that you would like attention brought to but didn’t know who to talk to?
If so, you’re not alone. In my three years at VHHS, I’ve heard plenty of talk among students about feeling disconnected from our school administrators. There is a general feeling of separation between the people who make the decisions and the people whom those decisions affect.
This disconnect is exactly why I set out to create the Student Advisory Council, or the SAC. The goal of this new group is to provide a place where students can come together to discuss pertinent school issues and propose ideas for school improvement to administrators.
The SAC meets during club periods, but it doesn’t follow the normal club format. Here’s how it works: each meeting, a discussion topic is selected, and every club, sports team, academic team, and group at VHHS is invited to send a representative to the meeting to participate in discussion. During the conversation, representatives unpack the issue and come up with potential solutions. An administrator sits in on each meeting to hear what the students have to say and take notes on their suggestions.
This past club meeting, the topic was parking and carpool. Representatives from choir, the tennis team, AP with WE Service, and several other groups came together to discuss ways to fix the inefficiencies in these systems. Our conversation focused on how carpool can often get backed up, especially in the lot next to the football field; this prevents students who drive to school from leaving in a timely manner. We also talked about how there is a lack of signage in the junior lot.
The representatives had some innovative suggestions on how to combat these issues. A few highlights were adding speed bumps and lane markers to the junior lot, having PTO and student volunteers help direct traffic, and adding more signage specifying where people can and cannot make left turns. Dr. England sat in on the meeting and conversed with students on their concerns. She also provided insight on what the administration had already been discussing to address this problem as well. To say the least, all attendees left the meeting with a general sense of hope for the future of VHHS parking and carpool.
After such a productive first meeting, I am excited to see where this group will go in the future. The benefits of students and administrators coming together to converse on issues important to them are two sided: students can get concerns off their chests, and administrators can have more information at their disposal when making important decisions. My hope is that the creation of the SAC will result in a greater feeling of connection between students and administrators as well as lasting improvement to VHHS.
If you would like to propose an issue for the SAC to discuss at one of its meetings, there are QR codes posted around the school that will take you to a Google Form for topic suggestions. Additionally, all are welcome to attend any of the SAC meetings taking place during club periods. The more voices at the table, the better.
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