By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
Over 50 students from 26 Boone County schools gathered at the Ralph Rush Development Center in Florence for the monthly meeting of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. The group’s leader is Youssef Saidi, a junior at Cooper High School. He was elected by the student group last year, and he exhibits great leadership skills even at this young age.
The Superintendent of Boone County schools, Matthew Turner, is usually present at these meetings that bear his name, but with an entire district to run, sometimes he is not able to attend. He sent Eric McArtor, Deputy Superintendent,and Chief Operations Officer to the meeting in his place.
“What do you think my job is,” McArto asked the group of students. “What do you think I do?”
He called on the students who raised their hands, suggesting jobs that he did and confirmed what they thought, saying he did keep things running in the schools throughout the district. He said sometimes surprises happen, and as an example talked about a gas leak that happened very recently at Ryle High School as an example of things that weren’t exactly scheduled on his agenda, but it took precedence. He agreed that sometimes he was involved with deciding if the weather canceled school on snow days.
The students liked talking to McArtor, but that was only part of the two-hour meeting, where the focus was on Student Voice and Self Advocacy.
Saidi guided the students through their reports, which resulted from a delegation of students attending the Kentucky Student Advisory Council conference, and proceeded to divide the students up into a planned leadership activity.
Stephanie Steele, Director of the Boone County Schools Food Services, and Holly Buchanan, Assistant Director, as well as Kate Wilson, Nutrition Coordinator, talked to the students about the food they eat at their various schools, and how it is planned and prepared.
This Student Advisory Council was an idea put into reality 23 years ago by Kathy Reutman, who still oversees the group a Executive Director.
“We started the group under Dr Brian Blavitz, and the continued under Superintendent Poe, and Superintendent Turner,” said Reutman. “The purpose is to give the students a voice and have them learn leadership skills. They have four goals — mental health diversity, communication and outreach, and student voice.”
The group was the first of its kind in the entire state of Kentucky.
Now most school districts have adopted some form of the council.
The SSAC is made up of students chosen from all the schools in the district, and they are eligible if they are at least in the fourth grade. The group is led by a student elected representative who also sits on the Boone County School Board in a non-voting position.
“All the students can ask questions, and apply,” Reutman explained. “We look for leadership skills or interest in leadership skills. The Principal in each school has a say in the students that are in the group.”
The group works on leadership projects all year in their monthly meetings, which are intended to train the students to think in ways that are more geared to leadership qualities.
In March of each year, a delegate assembly nomination convention is held and all the schools, elementary, middle and high schools, each have two representatives at that delegate assembly. Each high school nominates one student for Board Representative, who will serve for a year.
Those five nominees will create campaign videos which are broadcast in all the schools so the students can find out about the candidates. During the campaign, Superintendent Turner holds discussion groups, and the Director of Pupil Personnel joins in talking about the importance of their role in the voting process. Once the candidates give their final speeches, the elections are held and the results are certified by the Boone County Board of Elections and the Board Representative is elected.
“This gives the students more of a voice, and teaches them they have a voice,” said Reutman. “The leadership skills help them understand how to use that voice.”