Student representatives tell School Committee about graduations, composting and a push for district sustainability role

At a recent meeting of the Springfield School Committee, student representatives from schools across Springfield Public Schools summarized senior events, school activities and student-led sustainability work. They also reported composting totals and student outcomes as the academic year closed.

Alexandra Rivera, a former student representative from Central High School, told the committee that May had been “the busiest month” for seniors, with senior nights, sports seasons, ROTC ceremonies and a senior class day planned before graduation at Symphony Hall on June 8. Rivera said she plans to attend Holyoke Community College before transferring to the University of Massachusetts to study political science and noted participation in Pioneer Valley projects and a recent police reform discussion involving Springfield police graduates.

Zumari Lane, a junior at Springfield Virtual School, said she plans to continue dual enrollment at Holyoke Community College and pursue a culinary degree while remaining active on the student council. Ollie DeLeon, a junior at Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, described test schedules and senior activities, and said Putnam’s class earned $1,000 in the Hampton DA’s Stop the Swerve competition to fund class activities.

At the Renaissance School, Anthony Sanchez Dominguez discussed student reflection projects and student-led family conferences and described recent student involvement in district re-credentialing. He said student representatives met with Superintendent Dr. D'Amour and several district chiefs and staff to request a formal district role for sustainability and to work with the district on a climate policy. “We greatly appreciate all the hard work for helping us be a sustainable district,” Anthony said, describing plans for rising tenth graders to continue the effort.

Anthony also reported composting totals for the school year as presented to the committee: “For Mary Walsh Elementary, we’ve been able to compost 1,172 lb of food waste. For our Springfield Renaissance School, we’ve been able to compost 1,608 lb. White Street Elementary broke a record at 6,475 lb. Total this year, 5,156 lb of food waste into composting,” he said. (Numbers quoted as presented by the student; transcript phrasing of the total was “5,000 156 lb.”)

Anthony added that Renaissance’s senior class of 68 students had received 337 college acceptances and had earned more than $12.4 million in scholarships, figures he cited as evidence of student outcomes.

Genesis Esteban Bravo, a senior at the High School of Science and Technology, reflected on school events—pep rallies, a senior sunset and an amphitheater opening—and thanked teachers and administrators for support during students’ time on the district’s student council.

After the presentations, committee members and administrators acknowledged the student council with certificates and a group photo; Assistant Superintendent Escobar and other staff distributed recognitions and were thanked for their support.

The presentations closed the student advisory portion of the meeting; no formal votes or policy adoptions were recorded in the transcript excerpt.