Last month marked the launch of the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council, a new initiative aimed at giving students a direct voice in shaping the future of Carroll County Schools. Nine selected students from middle and high schools gathered for their inaugural meeting, and they were eager to dive into meaningful discussions with Superintendent Casey Jaynes.
"The whole purpose behind this is to listen to you," Jaynes told the council, emphasizing that their insights would help guide district decisions. Each student completed an application before being selected for the new organization.
The group reviewed data collected through the Strategic Plan Mission and Vision development process the district has been undergoing since last school year. Jaynes walked the students through both the high and low points, sparking conversation about the factors driving those results. "You guys are part of my team," Jaynes said, underscoring the importance of their role in steering the district toward improvement.
The council will meet every nine weeks and build upon their discussions. The students were very open with Jaynes, giving opinions on a plethora of topics. They were surprised to learn that the middle and high schools identified the same deficiencies in the surveys they took last school year - students not being nice and respectful, students do want to go to school daily and students do not believe their schools are clean. Their high points were belief in their principal as a leader, enjoy electives, believing their learning is important, teachers challenging them to think and having opportunities to be successful.
The students emphasized the need to be recognized for positive behavior more often, not just be punished for negative behaviors. They suggested boosting school spirit by building more unity among the student body, holding grade level events and involving students in planning assemblies. Team-building events, timely announcements of student achievements, and earlier notice for school activities were also high on their wish list.
Accountability for students who create messes was also important to them. Several students said others make messes on purpose in the lunch rooms and those types of students should be held to account for their actions and made to clean up their mess. This was important to the council members because both middle and high school ranked school cleanliness as low on their survey responses.
Their next meeting is November 21, when they will continue to discuss the needs of the district and find solutions to benefit Carroll County Schools.
The membership includes Melesa Herzet, Cheyanne Allen, Hailey Pirtle, Johnathan Pirtle, Taylor Sea, Alex Wainscott, Macy Coghill, Makayla Keithley and Ryan Beckham.