“I wish finals were after break.”
“Spring Fling was lame.”
“The cafeterias are too small.”
Students’ opinions float around South’s halls, but nobody ever seems to take action.
Students such as sophomore Currey Godbout, are reluctant to use their voices, worrying that speaking out is pointless. With a school population of around 3,100 students, it is easy for them to feel like their opinions don’t matter, Godbout said.
“It’s hard to make your voice heard when there [are] so many people [at our school],” Godbout said. “Voices that aren’t as [involved at South] get drowned out [and] blend into the background.”
The Oracle Editorial board understands it can be difficult for students to voice their opinions; however, it is vital for them to utilize the resources available to assert their concerns at South.
However, there are outlets, such as Student Council (StuCo), which are eager to hear student voices. StuCo uses student and faculty feedback to direct their meetings, senior Niki Alexis, StuCo Executive Board Vice President, explained. With administrative advice from Mark Maranto, Student Activities Director, StuCo can plan their activities, such as homecoming, the Canned Food Drive, the Winter Dance, and more, while keeping students’ inputs in mind, Alexis said.
“We try to hear [student voices by] sending out forms and talking to [students] about what the student body might want [for future activities],” Alexis said.
Sources for providing feedback, like StuCo, are crucial as they are then able to use the input to make changes as South, Alexis explained.
“If [any students] had a problem with something that we planned, [StuCo would] love to hear it because we could write it in our notes for the next year’s executive board to see,” Alexis said. “It’s helpful for student council to see what other people liked and what they didn’t like. Student voice is very important.”
A recent example of student feedback is the lack of interest in the Spring Fling. StuCo has made plans to organize a Turnabout dance scheduled for February to gauge excitement for this years Spring Fling, after feedback from the student body, Solange Battamir, junior Class Representative said.
Change is possible at South, as Principal Dr. Barbara Georges runs the Principal Advisory council (PAC): a diverse group of students that gather a few times a semester, providing Georges with a student point of view on school which she applies at district meetings. The selected students were recommended by a teacher, based on how well they represent their peers and then were accepted by application to speak for the student population, junior Angelina Stratakos explained.
“It is important that everyone [has] a voice,” Stratakos said. “The Principal [Advisory council] has a very diverse group of students, so we get to hear [a variety of student] voices.”
The voices of the PAC do not go unheard by Georges; she makes an effort to relay their ideas at district meetings and make them happen, senior Anya Azara said. The PAC has made changes in the past, such as suggesting the new late start schedule, creating more late starts but changing it from 10 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Although the committee represents the student population, it is important that students still advocate for their beliefs.
“If you think that there is something [that could be] better at South, write a letter [or] an email to – Georges,” Azara said. “[Georges] will 100 percent read [and] hear it. [Your feedback] could be something that gets brought to the advisory committee, then, even more students can talk about it and [add] their opinion.”
