Larned High School has been implementing a new Student Advisory Council (SAC) this 2023-24 school year. Mr. Bryce Wachs, the Superintendent of Fort Larned Unified School District, meets with a group of twelve high school students in the library from 12:00 to 1:00pm every month. They discuss changes that have been made, new ideas the students have, what the students’ thoughts are on changes and ideas that the administration has, and what changes the students can make to better the school district. After all, the students are the largest group of people affected by changes made by the school board and administration. The people chosen for the council are generally students that don’t have a greater voice within the school; Mr. Bryce Wachs informed us that “The Student Advisory Council will provide a platform for diverse student representation from various aspects of the school community, including academics, athletics, CTE, and fine arts.” The idea is to get the widest range of opinions from a wide assortment of students.
Mr. Bryce Wachs came up with the idea for the SAC. He brought the idea to the school board because he wanted to further involve students in the decision making process. It is great that students’ opinions are going to be considered when making changes at LHS! Mr. Bryce Wachs told me, “I left our first meeting incredibly encouraged and optimistic about the transformative potential of the Student Advisory Council. The insightful perspectives and proactive engagement from the students really drove home the importance of this platform in shaping the future of our school community. I look forward to ongoing collaboration and the positive changes we can achieve together.” Many of the members of the council had good things to say about their first meeting, and at LHS it seems that the general opinion is positive towards SAC.
The first meeting was mainly focused around informing the students about what the meetings would look like, how often they would meet, and why they were meeting in the first place. The goals of the SAC are to amplify the students’ voices as well as cultivating the student engagement in the decision making processes at LHS. Cammy Upson told us “I am excited to see how the council looks moving towards the future, and I think it is an amazing idea for us students!” It is great that students are able to voice their opinions about rules and ideas that may affect them, and we look forward to seeing the great changes that the Student Advisory Council will bring to LHS!
