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Student leaders take part in Youth Advisory Panel
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Posted on Nov 08 2008
Approximately 100 student leaders from 19 of the Public School System’s schools gathered together Thursday to discuss issues important to students.
This is the first time in about 20 years that PSS hosted the Youth Advisory Panel.
PSS Education Commissioner Rita Sablan said she wanted to re-start the panel because one of the Board of Education’s goals for the commissioner is to establish communication between the students and the COE.
“We want to start hearing what is good for them. What do we need to do?” she said.
She is hoping to hold panels once a quarter. The next one is expected to be in January.
The daylong event also allowed students to learn more about the roles of the education commissioner and the Board of Education.
“We set policies and regulations,” board chair Lucy Blanco-Maratita told the students. “We mold you.”
Even though the focus is on students, they are usually overlooked when making decisions, because “adults think they know everything,” Blanco-Maratita said.
She said she hopes to continue the panel and possibly get students to branch off and share input through the Internet or other forums.
“To really get a good representation of the cross section,” she added.
Blanco-Maratitia commended Sablan for taking the initiative to re-start the Advisory panel.
“We need to do more. It’s been overlooked,” she said.
Edward Bai, a 6th grade student at WS Reyes Elementary, said he was looking forward to meeting with other student leaders.
“It’s a good way to interact with other students,” said Bai, the public relations officer for WSR’s Student Council.
Gathering students from each of the schools together has been long overdue, said Jonas Barcinas, principal of Dandan Elementary.
“It’s great to bring youth leaders together, meeting higher-ups to feel part of the family,” he said, adding that students are the ones feeling the pain and gathering together can open up the lines of communication.
Most of the student representatives from the schools hold leadership positions, such as Student Council officers of National Honor Society officers, although teachers or principals nominated some students. Tinian Elementary did not send any representatives.
