Have you ever gotten that feeling that you’re missing something, but you can’t figure out what you’re missing? You can feel the void, the empty space, the quietness. You begin to retrace your steps, thinking through all the decisions you recently made, trying to pinpoint what’s missing. Then it becomes clear. How did you not realize what was missing? It was so obvious, the emptiness glaring, the silence screaming. Once you acknowledge it, you can begin to search for it.

            As we begin to look back at recent school board decisions and discussions, we can see something has been missing. Coaches are too tough, teachers shouldn’t text students, backpacks are a safety hazard, many decisions that involved students, but lacked any kind of student voice.

            With the addition of student representatives seated at school board meetings beginning this year, it becomes clear previously there were empty chairs.             There was a voice missing, an absent advocate. We found what we had been missing. A voice that is too often forgotten, yet a voice that is very powerful and most of the time has great insight. There used to be a gap, a loss of communication between board and student, and it felt that at times the board wasn’t accurately gauging what the student needed. With representatives junior Isabel Abdouch and senior Adele Colson, there is now a bridge between the student body and the school board. They walk the halls and sit in the classes.           These students hear the others’ voices, as well their own. They see, hear, and feel the change that needs to be made, and now at every board meeting they get to fill one of those seats and share that.

            We encourage you to speak with the student representatives about issues that are relevant to you. Share how you feel about these issues. Ask them what you can do to have your voice heard, and ask them to share that voice because for the first time ever we have an opportunity to sit two representatives down at every board meeting, who will be treated as equally as every single other board member. For the first time we have been offered a seat at the table, and it is the duty of all us to utilize this

opportunity and voice our concerns.

 

Sincerely your editors,

 

Devin Anderson-Torrez