COEUR d’ALENE — What happens tomorrow is in the hands of students today.

In the Coeur d'Alene School District, those students are wasting no time addressing what matters to them and making their voices heard.

On Wednesday, after months of virtual meetings, the inaugural Student Advisory Group met in person for the first time since it formed in fall 2020. Its members, who range from second-graders to seniors and represent every school in the district, gathered in the Lake City High School Library to discuss collaborative ideas for effecting meaningful and positive change across their district.

"I really just want to be advocating for student agency within our district. I know our superintendent, Dr. Cook, is really advocating for that as well," CHS sophomore Dylan Jones said. "I've seen some of the issues that have gone on in our district and I feel our students don't have great representation with decisions in our district. I feel that, with this group, we can definitely make a change."

His CHS classmate, Alexander Nipp, said that everyone wants what's best for students, from administrators to the students themselves.

"We do want our voices to be heard," he said. "We want the top people running our district, but if we can help them along the way, that's our goal."

The meeting included elementary, middle and high school updates that reflected issues on students' minds. Younger students want to focus on bullying and mental health while building stronger communication between the grade levels. Middle-schoolers are advocating for student input among their populations so a rich diversity of ideas can be heard. High school students are keeping eyes on the superintendent search as one of their priorities for involvement.

Alexander said it's great for secondary and elementary students to work together in this way.

"They're more opinionated," he said of his younger counterparts. "They let their minds flow a little bit more than we do. Their voices, everyone's voices should be heard. They have their own opinions, and they have great ideas."

The SAG was created through the advocacy of Coeur d'Alene High School senior and valedictorian Lilian Smith to give students a say in district policies and procedures.

"Students have a unique perspective on what's important in their education," Lilian explains in an informational video on the district's website. "Being part of a student advisory group will let you influence the decisions being made on our behalf."

The SAG has three teacher advisers: Charlene Babb, Jeni Nelson and Shelly Blank.

During the meeting, a vote was held to name the first elected officials. Helenna O'Brien, LCHS senior, was elected chair. CHS sophomore Austin Smith was elected vice chair. LCHS junior Ainsley Brigham was elected chair pro tempore.

The Coeur d'Alene SAG meets every month. Right now, elementary members meet weekly via Google Meet.

Info: www.cdaschools.org/domain/3322