Many students feel that our voices aren’t being heard. We don’t want to make any decisions about what we are learning, being taught, etc. We just want to have an opinion on extra events that are happening for us.
Student council gives students a leadership role, however students don’t get any say in events that they have to help set up. Here is an example of students going unheard.
For many years now, students have had the thought of having the Homecoming dance on the Saturday after the game opposed to it being on the Friday night after the game. There are many schools that have Homecoming as a formal dance. Warsaw has two formal dances, Echoes in March and Prom at the beginning of May. This year, the senior class took it upon ourselves to propose the idea of having it on Saturday, September 20. Our student body president, Jaxson Deckard, asked if we find teachers that are willing to supervise/sponsor it, we would be able to have a formal dance. Jaxson was instantly shot down.
Administration didn’t feel the new tradition was in the best interest of student safety.
“We turned down Homecoming dance on a Saturday because we have never done it in the past and having it after the game allows us to keep a better eye on the students,” Principal Danny Morrison said.
Last year, the Homecoming parade was moved to Monday at the beginning of Homecoming week. Every year prior, the parade was during school on the Friday of the game. This year the parade was on Monday, September 16. Doing the Homecoming dance as a formal on Saturday would be starting a new tradition, the same as changing the parade to a Monday the previous year.
Many students dislike the parade being on a Monday. Teachers and administrators may think it’s just because we want to miss school, but it is for many other reasons: One of which is because as students we enjoy getting to see all the younger kids looking up to us and receiving candy from us. Not as many students are able to attend the parade due to parents working, not having a ride, etc.
As students, we feel that Homecoming is slowly becoming less and less important and when we have ideas to make it better and more exciting for students it gets shot down. The voices of student leaders need to be heard.