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Students pitch mentorships, student council updates as board debates cell‑phone limits and late bus
Summary
High‑school students described a peer mentorship pilot that helped disengaged freshmen join extracurriculars; middle schoolers summarized student‑council activities. Board and committee members discussed a possible late bus and whether to ban cell phones during the school day, citing student well‑being and emergency communications concerns.
Students from Rice Lake High School and Rice Lake Middle School used part of the May 12 board meeting to present programs aimed at student connection and leadership.
Tyler Moore, a Rice Lake High School student who presented the peer‑mentorship pilot, said the “whole purpose of the mentorship program is to give kids that don't necessarily show up, give them a chance to show up.” He told the board the pilot began with six mentors and 23 freshmen identified through homeroom check‑ins; after follow‑up the group narrowed to 13 freshmen and seven joined school clubs. Moore said mentors focus on informal contact — attending athletic events, dances or lunches — and are explicitly not counselors: “If you hear something or something is told to you that you don't feel comfortable with, tell me, tell a counselor, tell someone else,” he said.
Middle school student council advisor Mary Carboza and student council members described a 60‑member council that organized Veterans Day activities attended by more than 250 community members, planned a spring dance with over 200 students, and worked on playground and elementary‑connection projects.
The Warrior Connection Committee used its update to highlight low‑cost and low‑risk proposals to increase student engagement, including exploring a late bus to expand participation in after‑school activities and creating higher‑profile year‑end awards for student leaders. Board members said they will seek cost estimates and bring a proposal back to the board if feasible.
A recurring discussion throughout the meeting concerned cell phones and social media in schools. Committee members and students described potential social benefits from limiting phones (more in‑person conversation during passing periods and lunch) and practical drawbacks (coaches and parents using phones to communicate schedule changes). Board members also cited emergency concerns, saying cellphone traffic from panicked parents can impede emergency response: as one board member recalled, during a past swatting incident parents arrived at the middle school before police, which complicated the response.
Board members asked for continued student input and further study of phone‑policy options rather than immediate action. The elementary handbook first reading reflected that discussion with proposed language adding “cell phones, smartwatches and tracking devices” to the device policy; staff will return to the board with revised page numbers and references at the second reading.
