U-46 students to weigh in on school issues at Wednesday summit
Elgin Area School District U-46's high school academics, standardized testing and student mental health are among the topics to be addressed at the district's third annual Student Summit Wednesday at Elgin Community College.
More than 200 high school students from the five U-46 high schools and its DREAM Academy will engage in roundtable discussions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the large atrium dining room in Building E at ECC's Elgin campus, 1700 Spartan Drive. This year's summit will focus on promoting a unified school culture.
"Throughout the year, those of us who serve on the CEO Student Advisory Council are always giving our feedback, but we're a small group of students," said U-46 school board student adviser Jackson Teetor, a Larkin High School senior organizing the summit. "So the thing I'm most looking forward to is getting so many more students from so many circles and schools involved. When we have 250 students in the room, we're really going to hear some new feedback."
Several students, including some who serve on the Principal's Student Advisory Council and CEO Student Advisory Council, will facilitate discussions to keep them constructive and positive. Topics include class rank, college and career readiness, how to boost attendance rates among high school students, school safety, technology in the classroom, tutoring systems and how schools can make it easier for students to reach out for help.
Bartlett High School senior Rohan Shah and other student leaders will discuss the framework for Mentors For Tomorrow - an after-school mentoring program for elementary and middle school students created by Shah in 2016 - encouraging peers to create a similar program at their high schools.
Shah and some of his Bartlett High peers began visiting Spring Trail Elementary School in Carol Stream during its after-school SAFE program to build connections with younger students and offer homework help, STEM projects and other activities to instill a love for learning. The student-led program has since expanded to Sycamore Trails Elementary School and Eastview Middle School, both in Bartlett.
"These students have taken an idea and have turned it into a reality," said Lela Majstorovic, district assistant superintendent of secondary schools, instruction and equity. "We are so proud of how they are giving back to their community and we are excited to see how this program will continue to grow."
District administrators hope the summit will generate more ideas that can be implemented in schools.
Majstorovic also will give a presentation on U-46's plans to incorporate educational pathways into high schools during lunch.