“We The Students of the the Westminster Student Congress, vow, in the best interest of our students to behold, and bestow the gifts of this council to our students, present and future.”
The first line of the Student Congress Constitution says it all. It time for this school to be for, of and by the students. In a previous article, the options for a student congress were discussed to much avail and student conversation. It lit the fire, and now its time to use it to light the way for Westminster students into a new age of Student Government. Over the last month, the idea has been laid out, but still the average student only know s bits and pieces about the game-changing Student Congress.
“A few good friends and I have been talking about, and tried to come up with some problems that can be solved, and we came up with some really good ones,” said Jordan Smith, a junior who is an official supporter of Student Congress.
So what is it. With rumors flying left and right, its hard to nail down what the Congress actually is. The Westminster Student Congress, part of a new Westminster Student Government, will take two already available positions, and give them some more duties and responsibilities, and create a new role of Head of Congress. Altogether, the Congress will consist of the Vice President from every high school class, whose role will be to represent the class voice inside the Congress, and a Student Council Representative from each class, who will be there to make sure that student voice are heard in Student Council, and in the planning of new events.
And then there is a Head of Congress, elected by a group of nine teachers every year. The role of the Head of Congress is the most important, because the Head of Congress will be the one who will have the job of consulting and fighting for the student voice on an administrative level. But in all the different positions, there is one common goal for all council leaders, and that is to make sure the student voice is heard throughout the school, and to make sure that even the idea of a lone student does not fall by the wayside. Because those small, seemingly non-existent ideas, are the ones that can lead to the greatest of changes.
So what about class officers and Student Council? These two are the core of the WCA experience and the congress could not work without the three part team system. Class officers will have more of a role bringing class-wide ideas into the congress, and Student Council will more of a role with school-wide ideas.The Student Congress will be a school-wide function, giving middle school a chance also to express their concerns.
The Congress is a reaction to our growth, and as we grow it will grow with us. Looking at a school like Desmet Jesuit for inspiration, the idea was clear. Their system grows with their school, and they recently added a social chair .
The student had become a developed idea, that has developed a great deal of fanfare and support.
“I think this is the next step in student system, and will be a great thing for the student voice,” said JD Klein, junior Class President, and Student Congress Co-founder.
In the prior article, it was learned that 72% of student wanted more of a voice. Since then over 70 people, including 11 teachers, and all of STUCO, have signed letters of support for the idea.
“I think that student input a great thing, and it will benefit this school is many ways. It gives the student a chance to make choices that impact them,” said Kelly Schwartz, upper school teacher.
Some of the students include Parker Briden, senior, Junior class president JD Klein, and tri-athlete Brett Bond, junior. Student Congress isn’t for one group of people. It’s catching fire in all social groups.
“It presents us with this really cool opportunity here, to change a lot of things and also express who we are in the school,” said Trip Worley, sophomore.
As students get closer to having more influence, what will they do with it? They can have a voice in things as big as whether or not WCA should have prom, down to the small things like lowering lunch prices a bit. The power to do so is in our hands now, and (while I might quoting a comic) with that great power comes great responsibility, from electing your student Congress chairs to the battles we, together, choose to fight.
Student Congress can be the greatest step in 30 years for the student voice, but now that we have the avenue for our voice, its time for us to make it heard. Its time for it to be shouted from a mountain top, or, on top a cafe table. But whatever we as student do with our new found power, we will be for, of, and by the students, present and future.
