Evergreen students lead the way with pitches designed to improve their schools

Who better to provide input on ways to improve a school district than the experts who live it and experience it every single day? The students!

In the Evergreen School District, we understand that student leadership is powerful, and for the past 10 years, we have been offering students opportunities with both voice and choice. Every spring, Evergreen fourth-grade and eighth-grade students share their ideas for how to improve their school and district; then, they turn those ideas into persuasive essays to share with the Board of Trustees.

Not only do those persuasive essays align with our state content English language arts standards (reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing), but they also present students with additional peer involvement and a chance at an authentic audience. After all fourth and eighth-grade students participate in instruction, guidance, drafts, and editing of persuasive essays, grade-level students then select their top 10 essay choices from each grade that they believe will have the most significant impact. Those young authors then practice and prepare to use their public speaking skills presenting to district trustees, administrators, staff, families, and community members with hopes of helping improve our schools and district.

As eighth-grade literature teacher Kara Gronley notes, “the student-led board work session is an evening I look forward to every year. It gives my eighth-grade students a real world application for their persuasive writing and motivates students to think critically and communicate effectively. This problem-solving-based activity engages our learners as thinkers, writers, and speakers. They get to see how hard work and innovative ideas can make a positive difference in their school community.”

As powerful as this opportunity is for our students, as fourth-grade teacher Debbie Beston notes, “watching and hearing from parents and the pride they feel in seeing their child be recognized and be able to present to a fairly large group of people, most of whom are complete strangers to them” is a highlight of the event as well.

Aside from the amazing experience our students gain from this yearly real world lesson, our schools and students also benefit for years to come.

WE CHOSE fourth and eighth-grade students for this opportunity not just because of the alignment of state standards but also because they are the highest grade in their respective schools at East Evergreen Elementary School and Evergreen Junior High School.

These grade levels have a solid track record of providing great suggestions for improvement with the many ideas that have gone from essay to reality over the past 10 years. Some ideas that have become a reality for our district through the process include a district pavilion, the addition of a spring extracurricular sport of cross country (initially fifth through eighth grade and then growing to the current kindergarten through eighth participation opportunity), soccer nets on goals at both schools, baskets on restrooms stall doors, a taller fence behind elementary soccer goals, an eighth-grade tree planted each year, how we greet and orient new students, adaptive and accessible swings at both schools, student leadership at the elementary (to mirror junior high opportunities), lights on our flag poles, getting seconds at lunch, additional classes, new clubs, different learning opportunities, and the list goes on.

The original author of “Seconds for Lunch” Bailee Hines said, “When we as the fourth grade all got seconds for the first time, it was brunch for lunch, and seeing all the kids going up and getting seconds made me feel as if my voice mattered in my school district.”

Evergreen Junior High School assistant principal and activities and athletics director Mike Barton appreciates student-led board work sessions because they have created many “great things for our school district including cross country, which helps promote positive healthy lifestyles for all kids.”

The list of how this activity has positively impacted our district continues to grow each year, but it takes more than just thoughtful ideas from our students. It also often takes the board of trustees committing resources and support to implement an idea.

Longtime school board chair Tamara Williams notes that “Our student-led board work sessions are a highlight of the year. Hearing directly from our students has proven to be invaluable. These sessions give us a real-time perspective on how to improve upon, grow, and enhance the student experience. The presentations are always thoughtful and well-researched and have led to some terrific projects and programs.”

There is also often additional research and planning involved by our board and/or building administrators prior to implementation. For some of the ideas, there has also been community involvement or local contractors involved to transform ideas from essay to speech to reality, and the audience for the speeches contains everyone needed to make these ideas possible; the audience truly listens, and the students know that we care and that their voices are heard and matter.

AS A proud parent of Evergreen students who participated and as a very proud fourth-grade teacher at East Evergreen Elementary School for the past 18 years, I have a deep understanding and great appreciation for how exceptional this learning opportunity is. I have seen the positive benefits it has had not only within our district but also spreading into our community. I have witnessed firsthand the impact it has had on individual students to be proud of themselves and build their confidence.

As a current eighth-grader looking back on her fourth-grade experience, Akevah Merrill said she “felt important and proud [she] was able to make a possible impact in our school.” I have seen more buy-in from year to year as students learn of the items and opportunities they have as a result of the students who came before them that engaged in the same process.

Our fourth-grade students have even talked about how their ideas could benefit their younger siblings as they grow. Evergreen Junior High School principal Kim Anderson sees this same pride, as she often hears from eighth graders that they are “so proud of leaving a positive footprint for upcoming Wolverines.”

While the pavilion took several years to plan, budget, and complete, the best part was having the ribbon cutting ceremony include the original eighth-grade essay authors who are now high school students.

This learning opportunity is an outstanding example of how Evergreen School District is excelling at our mission “to enable students to become responsible citizens and lifelong learners by ensuring quality instruction in a nurturing environment.”

As superintendent Laurie Barron reflects on 10 years of watching students prepare and share ideas, she is reminded of “how powerful student input can be,” and she is “grateful that we are always reminded of how our students’ reflections can improve our teaching, leadership, schools, and district.”

Cliff Thorsen is a fourth-grade teacher at East Evergreen Elementary School.