Representation in education
DEVIN WEEKS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 2 months AGO
Charlene Babb, elementary school adviser for the new Student Advisory Group, addresses members during their first in-person meeting in the Lake City High library on Wednesday.
DEVIN WEEKS/Press
Woodland Middle School eighth-grader Sophia Olson stands to deliver the middle school update Wednesday during the first in-person meeting of the Coeur d'Alene School District Student Advisory Group.
Coeur d'Alene High sophomores Alexander Nipp, left, and Dylan Jones chat before the first in-person meeting of the Student Advisory Group in the Lake City High library Wednesday afternoon.
Minds meet across schools and grade levels Wednesday afternoon during the first in-person session of the Coeur d'Alene School District's inaugural Student Advisory Group. Students discussed issues ranging from bullying and mental health to keeping up on the superintendent search.
Devin Weeks is a third-generation North Idaho resident. She holds an associate degree in journalism from North Idaho College and a bachelor's in communication arts from Lewis-Clark State College Coeur d'Alene. Devin embarked on her journalism career at the Coeur d'Alene Press in 2013. She worked weekends for several years, covering a wide variety of events and issues throughout Kootenai County. Devin now mainly covers K-12 education and the city of Post Falls. She enjoys delivering daily chuckles through the Ghastly Groaner and loves highlighting local people in the Fast Five segment that runs in CoeurVoice. Devin lives in Post Falls with her husband and their three eccentric and very needy cats. | March 20, 2021 1:06 AM
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
MORE FRONT-PAGE-SLIDER STORIES
ARTICLES BY DEVIN WEEKS
Talent showcase Friday at Lake City High
Talent showcase Friday at Lake City High
A new K-12 event will showcase the many talents that can be found across the Coeur d'Alene School District.
Geranium sale raises funds to help women reach academic goals
Geranium sale raises funds to help women reach academic goals.
Petals of radiant red, popping pink, vivid violet and pleasant peach were seen in the early Friday morning sunlight on the lawn of a home near Fernan Lake. Members of the Chapter AG Philanthropic Educational Organization carried trays of flowers and carefully organized pots as they prepared for about 700 geranium plants to go out into the community following a successful annual sale.
Students sharpen timber skills at Idaho State Forestry Contest
Students sharpen timber skills at Idaho State Forestry Contest
Cruising around a tall pine with a small measuring tape, Ava Stone examined the numbers and wrote them down on a paper secured to her clipboard. "It's the diameter, and then you take a clinometer from the 66 foot back and then the 100 foot back, then you look up and get the height to find out the board foot volume," she said Thursday morning.