By Chloe Johnson
STEM has always wanted to break barriers. Through a new
club called the Student Advisory Board, it allows students to directly communicate
with the faculty and administration.
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| Student Advisory Board is led by administrative team members Robin Fisher (far left), Hope Strickland, and Drew Sears. |
As I sat in the Inner Conference Room, I was very excited to
start this interview. As a member of the Student Advisory Board, I understand
why and how the group helps the faculty make decisions. After conducting an
interview with Mrs. Fisher, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of DRSS, I
have become completely aware of why the Student Advisory Board was started.
Mrs. Fisher is one of the three founders of the group. Mrs. Strickland, the
Principal, and Mr. Sears, the Dean of Students, also conduct Student Advisory Board
meetings. Mrs. Fisher explained, “The Student Advisory Board is a group of
students that are chosen to represent their class in conversations with the
administration of the school, so that we can communicate about suggestions,
problems, challenges, or ideas they might have to improve the school.” To
clarify, students from each grade level were not chosen to be a part of the
group; however, anyone who wanted to participate could sign up during their
advisories.
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| Students of the Student Advisory Board. |
“From the beginning of DRSS, the faculty wanted to create a
culture where there was a lot of feedback between the students and the staff,” Mrs.
Fisher said. When the school had less students, it was easier for the staff to
receive immediate feedback. Since DRSS has grown vastly during the years, it is
harder for the faculty to obtain feedback from the students. "Last year was the
first year the idea about the Student Advisory Board came about," Mrs. Fisher
stated. Since STEM is a community of learners, it empowers the faculty to have
the students’ voice in their decisions. The entire STEM community can take
ownership of what goes on.
During the summer of
2015, the idea of the Student Advisory Board was refined. Now, Mr. Sears and Mrs. Strickland each take two grades, and Mrs. Fisher conducts three of the Student Advisory Board meetings. Each Student Advisory
Board meeting has a different topic, and are held once a month. For the middle
school, the meetings are held in the fishbowl, and the high schoolers have
their meetings in the aquarium. (Both of these places are conference rooms.) The
meetings are a chance for open dialogue, so whatever is on the students’ minds
about the school can be stated. The administrative team members ask questions to receive students’
feedback on certain topics affecting the school. Sometimes, student
representatives will bring questions from their advisories when they come to
the meetings. All of the responses from the students are typed. After
conducting the meetings, the three faculty members meet a week after to talk
about their findings. By doing this, it helps the staff come up with ideas of
how they can help or improve things around the school. Also, they can find
common trends between the students’ responses. In return, the student
representatives communicate to their fellow classmates about what the faculty said
during the meetings.
The first meeting focused around the students’ decisions to
come to STEM and what their potential career paths could be. Some students
recommended making clubs for specific careers, having a mentorship program, or
connecting students to people who are in the fields they are interested in. Over
time, the discussion moved to how the school was doing providing the students
with career-based learning. Another topic for discussion is what to do with the
space next door. Many ideas have been requested, including a library, media
center, agility course, auditorium, or a hangout spot. Another question the admin team members ask the students is what they think is missing from the
school’s facility. An additional topic of discussion focused on how the faculty
could help change the culture of the school. Two of the students even took part in the meetings to help develop the school's new Strategic Plan. Basically, the Student Advisory Board
helps with ongoing decisions.
The faculty always take the students’ responses into
consideration. For example, there were concerns about lunches. The faculty
took those comments into consideration and talked to the cafeteria workers
about changing up the types of lunches that are served. Now, the lunches are
diversifying due to the students’ feedback. Another example was when a music
program was brought to STEM because of the students’ concerns over not having
one. Depending on what the responses are, it can help determine how useful it
will be for the faculty’s decisions. Furthermore, the quality of each students’
responses are excellent. No student has a bad idea. Each student has different
experiences while attending STEM and have varying perspectives about what they
think the school could improve on. Mrs. Fisher concluded, “But each response is
super significant because their perspective helps us get a pulse about how
everyone is feeling in the building.”
Additionally, Mrs. Fisher has a little secret that she keeps
from the wellness teachers at DRSS. She brings snacks such as candy, crackers
or pretzels to all of her Student Advisory Board meetings. Before lunch, the
juniors and seniors meet with Mrs. Fisher for the meetings. Most of the time,
these students are hungry because they have not eaten yet. Also, Mrs. Fisher
said, “If you think about, most social events you go to, food is something that
brings people together.” By bringing food to the meetings, it makes the
environment more comfortable and opens up the doors to sharing ideas. However,
not every meeting has snacks. It is just a luxury of being a part of the
Student Advisory Board.
In summary, the Student Advisory Board allows open dialogue
between the students and faculty members. From the words of Mrs. Fisher, “The
reason is so we can maintain a culture where the students have feedback and
input on the decisions that are made in the school.” The Student Advisory Board
is an open place where no one is judged, and everyone is accepted. It is not an
exclusive club. “Student Advisory Board really has to do with direct
communication with the administration,” Mrs. Fisher stated. It helps get rid of
the conversation barriers. Furthermore, it helps clear up some misconceptions
about what the school does. Mrs. Fisher said, “We will continue throughout the
year with other topics that we would like the students’ feedback on.” This club
is creating amazing ideas while breaking barriers between faculty and student
communication.
