By Lydia Browne
At Access on Thursday, October 26, BHS held its second Student Forum of the 2023-24 school year. This meeting is an opportunity for a discussion about the school’s goals, and for students to express the positives and negatives of their high school experiences. The goal is to have two students from each Access class attend.
The Student Forum was first instituted in September of 2019. According to our principal, Ms. Kleinschmidt, she started the event “in order to increase opportunities for students to have a voice at BHS about their experience and to share their ideas, concerns, and questions.” Student Leadership helps to plan and facilitate the event. “Sometimes we have a guest join us,” Ms. Kleinschmidt explained, “[such as] our Director of Food Services, to talk about their department so that students are informed about the systems and have background knowledge about their school.”
At this Student Forum, Leadership students began the meeting by announcing upcoming events, such as: blood drive sign ups, the Volleyball Tournament, and Trunk or Treat.
A variety of topics were discussed at this forum, starting with the school’s goals. Students can see signs around campus that state and explain the three major goals of BHS this year: Sense of Belonging, College and Career Readiness, and Culturally Affirming Classrooms. These goals were made in preparation for its periodic accreditation, a process that occurs every six years to ensure a quality education program.
Students shared both positive and negative feedback at the forum, starting with various things that they appreciate about BHS. Students mentioned Get Focused, career-prep classes, visitors that promote more than just colleges, college visit opportunities, regular spirit weeks, well thought out events, success in sports, and effort and participation during Red Ribbon Week as positive aspects of the school.
A variety of improvements were also suggested and discussed during the meeting. The first of these were related to BHS events, including placing more emphasis on Red Ribbon Week, Suicide Prevention, and Unity Day. Students also expressed that they felt that community events and volunteering opportunities could be better publicized. It was also mentioned that the school should make stronger efforts to inform students about different cultures and world events, such as the Israel-Hamas war, through videos and links to news sources. As for class improvements, students mentioned interest in classes that focus on different science fields, as well as a philosophy class, more options for Early Bird classes, and more emphasis on personal finance. They also suggested improvements in student support, opportunities, and welfare, including things such as student expression and the attendance reward program. Finally, the call for the return of Panther TV was what Ms. Kleinschmidt called the “main takeaway” of the Student Forum.
Students are highly encouraged to participate in these forums. “The results are great,” Ms. Kleinschmidt said. “Students are more informed and have the opportunity to receive information rather than misinformation or assumptions about things at school. We are able to discuss ideas and put them into action, get student feedback on our school-wide goals, and hear directly from students about life at BHS. I share the notes (no names included) with all BHS Staff so that they can read student contributions. As a result, some teachers have made changes in their practices as well.”
There are three Student Forums per semester of each year, so there are multiple upcoming forums that students can attend. Future forums are planned for Access on November 30, February 15, March 21, and April 25.
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