The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Marcel G. during the 2007-2008 League.
A Meeting of Adult Voices
I always lived life as a puppet you can say, following the demands of adults to express my respect towards my elders. There is a time when individuals have to speak out when decisions are being made that pertain to their futures. By attending a school board meeting for my school district, Kelloggsville Public Schools, it became evident to me that the students had no voice. They had no voice to express their concerns because there were no students present to speak on administrative issues. During the meeting the superintendent of the school district gave his opinion on every issue and it seemed as if every board member followed suite. I learned that there is a massive amount of funding that our district gets for the facilities of the schools and the school board members decide upon what that money is used for.
The school board meeting transformed me from being an ordinary student into a concerned student. I am a concerned student because whenever a school district can't afford to supply enough text books for students; they shouldn't vote to break ground a new soccer field. I am worried! It seems as if people are only concerning themselves with the ratings that our school district receives from athletic programs and the number of students that these programs can attract.
I believe a student voices would do my school district justice. We are the ones attending the schools each day; we know better than anyone how the money should be spent. We are the ones' seeking to obtain a great education.
This experience has encouraged me to investigate and ask the students of Kelloggsville how they believe the funding should be spent. What percentage should be allotted for academics and what percentage should be allotted for athletics?
The meeting also showed me how important it is for the student body to be present at each Board of Education Meeting. The rules that we as students are now following are because we failed to exercise our rights and actively speak out and remain active in the administrative task for our school.
