Student Advisory Council - November 19

 

In the middle of August, I applied to be a member of state superintendent Richard Woods' Student Advisory Council! Each year, there is a new student council that helps the superintendent create decisions for the betterment of the Georgia Department of Education. The application consisted of questions that asked us about what we would contribute as a member and what problems we see within the educational system. I decided to talk about the lack of diversity within higher-level classes such as AP and IB and the recent obsession with STEM programs instead of English and History subjects and how it affects a student's ability to communicate with others. At the end of September, I was notified that I was 1 out of 69 students who were chosen for the council!

 Nearly two Thursdays ago, I had to travel to Atlanta to the Georgia Department of Education building that held the meeting we were all supposed to be in attendance for. The first thing on the agenda was to get breakfast which we all previously ordered a few days prior to the meeting. Then, there was an introduction presentation given by a select teacher who was chosen to lead this meeting. Later, a professor from the University of Georgia and a film producer came and asked us all to create a 15-second video about mental health that we would submit before Christmas. I am super interested in participating in this project because it encourages the normalization of getting help if you are struggling with mental health issues. Next, we divided into two groups that either went to speak to Superintendent Woods or stayed with the meeting advisor to talk about service projects. I really enjoyed this part because we all told Woods about our concerns with the educational system.  When we talked about service projects, I started to think about my CAS project and how they could intertwine. 

Eventually, we ate lunch and talked about the student health survey that every student has to take. We were able to review the questions and give suggestions to the leaders who made these surveys. After this, a member of the dual enrollment committee spoke to us about college application month and the special offers we have as seniors. It was such a long day but very resourceful and a wonderful learning experience. I love being a part of this council because I get to represent my classmates and the educational system as a whole. Being a part of an intellectual group of students is a wonderful opportunity.