Over 200 U-46 high school students participate in annual Student Summit
The student advisor to Elgin Area School District U-46's Board of Education will lead about 220 high school students during the Student Summit on Thursday, March 3, at Elgin Community College.
Jessica Pearce, a senior at Bartlett High School, organized this year's Student Summit, which aims to promote a unified school culture across the district.
"The Student Summit gives its participants the ability to come together and discuss their unique experiences and shared concerns to promote progress in U-46," Pearce said. "It is a day of lively and impactful discussions that ultimately shape school and district policy, and I am thrilled to see what will begin as a result of this year's event."
Students will be welcomed to the summit by U-46 Superintendent Tony Sanders, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Lela Majstorovic, and ECC President Dr. David Sam.
After an outline from Pearce on how the day will proceed, the students will listen to a presentation on the first topic of the summit, mental health, and then break into smaller discussion groups. The same format will follow for the other two topics to be discussed: post-secondary success and student engagement.
The students who will attend the summit come from all five of the district's comprehensive high schools as well as the Dream Academy and Central Schools Program. Principals select the students, some of whom serve on the Principal's Student Advisory Council, and the members of the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council will serve as facilitators at the tables to keep discussions constructive and positive, and to encourage participation among all students.
Pearce said in her experience, mental health is often the topic that students are most eager to discuss.
"Given that the pandemic has only exacerbated mental health issues for so many people, I would expect that students this year will be just as passionate, if not more so, in discussions concerning how the district can best support students with mental health concerns," she said.
Following the Student Summit, district administrators will review the notes and relay information to school administrators.
High school principals then will conduct a debrief session with their students to discuss ideas that can be implemented at their school. Pearce will also deliver a presentation on the Student Summit to the U-46 Board Of Education in April. Previous summits have led to changes in the district's dress code and influenced Equity initiatives.
Former Student Advisor Eric Loera launched the U-46 Student Summit during the 2016-17 school year. It's continued every year since.
WHO: Board of Education Student Advisor Jessica Pearce, U-46 high school students and administrators including U-46 Superintendent Tony Sanders, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Lela Majstorovic, and ECC President Dr. David Sam.
The U-46 Student Summit will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive.
U-46 serves families in 11 communities: Bartlett, Elgin, Hanover Park, South Elgin, Streamwood and Wayne, as well as portions of Carol Stream, Hoffman Estates, St. Charles, Schaumburg, and West Chicago. In total, the district encompasses 90 square miles within the Fox River Valley, approximately 45 minutes west of downtown Chicago, and includes communities within Cook, DuPage and Kane counties. More than 36,000 pre-kindergarten through 12th-graders attend the 57 district schools and programs. To learn more, visit www.u-46.org, or follow on Facebook or Twitter.