Last week, the upper school administration sent out a poll looking for students to apply to be school ambassadors in the creation of a survey about student-adult relationships. The survey, which SPA has partnered with the Search Institute to create, is another way the faculty is trying to connect more with students and hear their opinions on important issues and how the school can improve. Eventually, it will be distributed to the student body, and the ambassadors will help create an action plan based on responses.
According to the Search Institute, The Developmental Relationships Survey helps organizations “understand the nature of connections between adults and young people as well as young people’s perception of the organization’s practices, their experiences of bias or discrimination in the organization, and their reflections on their own social-emotional competencies.”
Upper school principal Minnie Lee had a prominent role in organizing the program and how students will participate.
“The student ambassador program is one way we’re intentionally centering student voice,” Lee said.
The program is a push from the school faculty to get students more involved in the decision-making around many different areas of the school. It is an opportunity for students to have their voices heard by the adults in school.
“We see it as an exciting leadership opportunity, so much so that we are bringing in an outside consultant to work with students so there’s no or minimal internal bias,” Lee said.
Another goal is to eliminate internal biases held by adults in the faculty by adding students to the discussions and letting them share their opinions. Students make up a majority of the school population, but their voices are often overlooked simply because of their age and the fact that they are students. With the school ambassador program, students will be able to show where they see bias in the school community and try to eliminate it.
We see it as an exciting leadership opportunity, so much so that we are bringing in an outside consultant to work with students so there’s no or minimal internal bias.
— Minnie Lee
The administration hoped many students would apply for the roles of student ambassadors. Ambassadors were notified over the weekend, and all applicants were accepted. The group totals around 40, or ten percent of the upper school population.
The first meeting took place Mar. 6 after school.
“The meeting was really great,” said Sophomore Luwam Mebrahtu. “I think were going to make some really good progress,” said Mebrahtu. “I think this is a good starting action,” said Freshman Caden Deardurf.
The student ambasssadors will now be a regular part of how SPA handles certain decisions.
