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Jefferson Elementary students describe leadership activities to Norfolk school board
Summary
Jefferson Elementary’s newly formed student council summarized its first-year activities — including family events, veterans recognition, fundraising and peer mentoring — during a Norfolk Public Schools Board of Education meeting.
Jefferson Elementary students and staff told the Norfolk Public Schools Board of Education on April 14 that the school’s first-year student council has led a range of school and community activities intended to build leadership skills and strengthen family engagement.
The council, created this school year under the district’s strategic communications plan, has 10 student representatives chosen through a process that included teacher input and schoolwide voting, principal Jamie London told the board. "Our goal at Jefferson was to give our students a bigger voice in our school, to build leadership opportunities, and to highlight our student accomplishments in meaningful ways," London said.
School staff and student council members described monthly leadership meetings, a book-walk event that paired students with age-appropriate books, and community outreach. "On Veterans Day, student council went to Hy Vee, and what we did was welcome all the veterans that came for breakfast," a student representative said, adding that council members helped with food service and cleanup. A Jefferson teacher said a veteran later visited the school to express appreciation.
The student council also organized family-oriented events such as pizza and game nights, helped run fundraisers with the PTO (including dine-out nights and a Pizza Ranch event where students will bus tables), and operated a weekly snack cart that student council members manage to learn budgeting. Council members said those activities taught budgeting, public speaking and how to model respectful behavior for younger students.
Students described "building buddies," a program in which council members visit younger classrooms to encourage and assist students, and a monthly "skill of the month" that is modeled in morning meetings with videos demonstrating expected and unexpected behaviors.
Jefferson staff acknowledged teacher leaders who support the council, naming the school guidance counselor, Mrs. Warner, and fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Santiago, as advisors. Principal London invited board members and district directors to meet council members and have a group photograph with the signs the students made to summarize their leadership work.
The presentation concluded with the board thanking the students and families for attending and noting the council’s role in helping lower absenteeism and encouraging positive school culture.
The board received the presentation; no formal action was taken on the student council during the meeting.
