Students often have felt unheard when it comes to practice and policy involving their education. St. Cloud Area School District 742 is committed to listening to their voices. Recently high school and middle school administration joined forces to create both a Northside and Southside Student Summit to amplify student voice. During the summits, students opened up to adults and to each other about their thoughts and feelings, school climate and culture, as well as their futures.
“They [principals] really wanted a way to enlist student voice,” shared Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education Kay Nelson. “It’s part of our strategic plan. We started meeting in November to discuss what it could look like. We wanted consistency, so we gathered data from both sides. The assistant principals and principals really got together and came up with a plan. They had a united front.”
One of the goals of the summit was to create a sense of unity, belonging and pride, which is why principals felt it important to include the middle school voice.
“It was important for our middle school kids to be a part of the high school experience,” explained Nelson. “And just for them to see themselves in those buildings and keeping focused on their future.”
Both the Northside and Southside Student Summits were organized in the same way and posed the same questions to the students. However, the Northside Summit started with a pep rally to amp up the energy for the day, while the Southside Summit organized activities in between each one of the sessions.
“The kids really engaged,” said Nelson. “It was great to see how open and honest they were. They felt their personal voice was extremely important. Kids always surprise us. They are always so profound.”
Some of the questions:
What do you want the adults in your building to know about you?
What are the qualities in a trusted adult that make you feel safe?
What are things you worry about or bring you joy?
Students had a lot to say.
Junior Maryan Abdullahi from Apollo High School has been in the country for three years. She wanted adults to know that it was very hard for her to move here, especially not knowing the language.
Apollo Junior, Aubrey Single, wanted staff to know, “We are trying our best. We are high school students and doing extra stuff outside of school.”
Fernanda Barraza Ramos, a sixth grader at North Junior High School added, “I like it when adults listen to me … when they worry about me and are always there for me.”
Nelson was impressed at the level of engagement that students demonstrated during the summit. “Some of what the kids said was really deep.”
Amin Aden, a senior at Tech High School said, “I want them [adults] to be respectful, honest and funny because that creates easy comfort.”
South Junior High School eighth grader, Bimanji Acho, shared worries. “I worry about the future. If I’m just going to become someone on the street … like if my education won’t work out for me and [I won’t] have enough money for college, and then I’ll just end up working a job I don’t like.”
Summit data was gathered and will be analyzed to create next steps to improve school climate. Administration will return to those students with plans to implement change and do more listening.
“Our goal as a school district is to give kids a sense of belonging,” explained Nelson. “And how we do that is by listening to them. They know what they need. And our job as adults and as a system is to create schools that can best meet those needs, so we’re all feeling positive, safe and connected.”
Listening together. 742 Together!
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