Student Advisory Committee selected

Warren County school board members are interested in questions, ideas, and concerns from our students.

In order to ensure the opportunity for scheduled communication with students, members of the board?s Student Advisory Committee, along with their sponsors, Pam Youngblood and Stephanie Hanson, attend and are recognized at monthly school board meetings.

Six candidates from 9th through 11th grades (two from each grade) were recently selected by school board members through an application process. Senior class committee members from last year will continue to serve on the committee. The new committee?s term began in January.

According to board policy, half of the students selected must be enrolled in the college preparatory track, and half must be enrolled in the technology or dual path track.

Students selected for the 2007 committee are:

? 9th grade ? Allison Sue Chilton (Anna and Danny Smedley and David Chilton), and Chrishelen Rodriguez (Juan and Rafalela Rodriguez)

? 10th grade ? Jonathan Holland (Mike and Cindy Holland), and Lindsey Adcock (John Adcock and Regina Burns)

? 11th grade ? C.J. Strode (Curtis and Alicia Strode) and Lee Allen Turner (John and Terri Turner).

Returning seniors are Ashley Hobbs (Carlton and Viki Hobbs), Megan Hobbs (Jeffrey and Tina Hobbs), Jacob Basham (Bobby and Diane Basham), and Bryan Bouldin (Carl and Beverly Bouldin).

Student Advisory Committee members will be attending the SCOPE (Student Congress on Policies in Education) Conference next month at Tennessee State University. According to the conference agenda, ?participants will have an opportunity to learn about education issues through mock school board meetings, discussions, and debates.?

Additional topics will include cyber-bullying, drug testing, school uniforms, nutrition, and superlatives. Following the conference, students will report information on opinions and recommendations to our local school board.

Each October, committee members design a banner representing our school system?s goals and achievements and present it to the board. The banner is then displayed at the Tennessee School Board Association fall conference.

An informal lunch meeting held each month with high school principal James Bennett allows for an open exchange of questions, concerns, and ideas between the administration, sponsors, and members of the Student Advisory Committee. In addition, committee members develop and conduct a survey, consisting of questions relating to current areas of concern and interest, for all Warren County students in 6th through 12th grades. School board members receive updates from the lunch meetings each month, and results of the surveys are reported at the January board meeting.

All students are encouraged to discuss their ideas or concerns with Advisory Committee representatives. School board members and administrators look forward to the committee?s report each month and appreciate the efforts of the sponsors and students.

Bonnie Collier is the professional and community development coordinator for the Warren County School System.