Student Agency
Yesterday, ISA held its annual student council elections, with students from both middle and high schools standing for various offices. Speeches were made and votes then cast - 87% of eligible students - in a record turnout at a time when democracy is looking a bit jaded.
It is good for students to get a taste of how representative democracy works. The candidates self-selected but they were guided in their speeches - unlike real politicians, they couldn’t promise what would be impossible to deliver. They talked about how they would use their office to promote ISA values - especially kindness.
Student councils are often the pinnacle of student leadership in a school, sometimes the only example of it. At ISA it is one of many opportunities for students to exercise initiative in our community. We want our students to feel that any one can take action to improve their communities - there isn’t a small class of permanent leaders and the rest are always led.
Sometimes student action is specific - like the beach clean up and the friendship bench in elementary, or the student initiative clubs. Sometimes it is part of a school initiative - like the high schoolers helping run elementary activities. Or something bigger involving outside agencies, like the youth philanthropy initiatives in Grades 9 and 10. Some student leadership requires training, policies and processes - like peer mediation, which intentionally brings in a cross section of the student community.
Speaking up is a routine part of ISA. From explaining their learning to parents, to advocating causes in assemblies, to running staff training sessions on conflict resolution, we expect our students to be very much heard as well as seen - working to make their community a better place.
Tahite, elected president, giving her candidate speech.
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