Students report on peer leadership and football camp; two student school board members sworn in
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Summary
Students presented on peer leadership activities, Freshman Fest and a football camp; the board swore in two student school board members who described priorities including increased student voice and early feedback that the phone ban has been positive overall.
Three student groups presented to the John Stark Regional School District school board about recent student leadership activities and athletics, and the board swore in two student school board members.
Peer leadership students described an in‑school leadership class run by a teacher (referred to in the presentation as Ms. Sherman) that supports freshman advisories and delivers lessons on communication, relationship‑building and other life skills. The student presenters said they visit freshman advisories every other Monday, lead monthly lessons on topics such as communication skills, and cited a recent retreat at an outdoor camp in Merrimack (presenters named the site as Wanaki/Kalanaki) that emphasized team‑building and high‑ropes activities.
Members of the football team said they attended a team camp at Vermont Academy where practices, team dinners and scrimmages aided bonding and helped new players integrate. Student speakers described improved cohesion and practice structure after the camp.
The board swore in two student school board members. Miles Grant took the oath as a John Stark student school board member and outlined plans to run brainstorming sessions to set short‑ and long‑term student board goals, to use surveys modeled on those used by previous student board members, and to emphasize showing students how the board acts on student input. Both newly sworn members and other students addressed the board about the district’s recently implemented cell‑phone ban: several students said the ban initially seemed intimidating but that, overall, it has been positive, increasing face‑to‑face interaction and reducing phone use in the halls. One student noted limited drawbacks in some math classes where phones had previously been used as calculators; the point was raised as a classroom accommodation question rather than a policy challenge.
Ending Board members and administrators thanked the students for their presentations and noted the district will follow up on specific classroom accommodation questions and ongoing student leadership plans. The student board members will return with more detailed goals and the results of planned surveys.
