Part two of an interview with Ithaca High School students Adam Saar, Grace Lim, Aitan Avgar, and Kadek Nawiana that began with episode 12. These incredible students continue to share about their activism and advocacy as student representatives to their board of education. Adam, Grace, Aitan and Kadek do not disappoint with their stories, detailing how they work to create a sustainable model where they are mentoring new recruits as well as what their future plans hold, leaving listeners brimming with hope.
Please (seriously, you must...) take the time to see these incredible students in action, speaking to issues from our interview via the two ICSD Board Meeting Video Clips Below:
Get solutions from Schoolutions!
#solutionsfromschoolutions #schoolutionsinspires #schoolutionspodcast
Part two of an interview with Ithaca High School students Adam Saar, Grace Lim, Aitan Avgar, and Kadek Nawiana that began with episode 12. These incredible students continue to share about their activism and advocacy as student representatives to their board of education. Adam, Grace, Aitan and Kadek do not disappoint with their stories, detailing how they work to create a sustainable model where they are mentoring new recruits as well as what their future plans hold, leaving listeners brimming with hope.
Please (seriously, you must...) take the time to see these incredible students in action, speaking to issues from our interview via the two ICSD Board Meeting Video Clips Below:
Get solutions from Schoolutions!
#solutionsfromschoolutions #schoolutionsinspires #schoolutionspodcast
Schoolutions –S1 E13: Engaged Teenagers = Hope for Our Future: Student Representatives to the Board of Education with Adam Saar, Grace Lim, Aitan Avgar & Kadek Nawiana (Part II)
[00:00:00] Olivia: Welcome to Schoolutions, where listening will leave you inspired by solutions to issues you or others you know may be struggling with in the public education system today. I am Olivia Wahl, and this is Part 2 of an interview that began with Episode 12. If you have not listened to that episode yet, I strongly suggest you press pause right now and do just that.
[00:00:27] Olivia: Listen to Episode 12 from the beginning to have a proper introduction to these incredible student representatives to their Board of Education. And, if you have listened to that episode and have been waiting a week to hear more, get ready to continue to be inspired by Ithaca High School's Adam Saar, Grace Lim, Aitan Avgar, and Kadek Nawiana.
[00:00:48] Olivia: Here we go. This work you all are doing. It has such a ripple effect where you are setting the tone. You're setting the stage. The changes you are having implemented or trying to implement really will affect years of students to come in positive ways. Yes, your brother, many other children as well. So, I thank you for that as a parent for your advocacy.
[00:01:15] Olivia: You're very engaged. You have authentic audiences. The Board of Education are representatives of our community. And I think that that's important that our students access these roles as often as possible. Yet, I am fearful, guys. You are juniors. You are seniors. How is this sustainable? Like, what is the plan to recruit, to get other students like you to step in when you graduate?
[00:01:44] Olivia: Three out of four of you are graduating this year. Adam, can you speak to that?
[00:01:49] Adam: Yeah, and you just touched on this too, but, you know, one of the things that we really value is making sure that the members on the Board of Education truly do serve as representatives and not just as a governing body. And so, one of the things that we emphasize is that fact that they are here to serve our needs and the needs of our peers.
[00:02:10] Adam: And I guess we're trying to set an example of that, trying to show people coming into the high school that students can have a say in district policy matters. And when you're coming into the high school and you don't really know what's going on, it can, it can feel like the administration is some otherworldly entity that is shrouded in mysticism and you don't know how it works and they just throw decisions on to you and you're like, I guess.
[00:02:37] Adam: Okay. That's how it works. But we're really trying to show that that doesn't have to be how things go and we've also worked with the administration, especially with the aforementioned Miss Arnold to create more spaces for which students and especially underclassmen to have their voices heard. We succeeded during the pandemic.
[00:02:57] Adam: And during the online school year last year to create a weekly meeting that was open to all students with administrators to just talk about whatever was on students’ minds. And we got a lot of underclassmen attendance to those meetings and quite a few of them, even at my encouragement, uh, ran last spring, but were not elected.
[00:03:20] Adam: I'm hoping that they will run again this year. And I think that also just making this role a lot more visible will encourage people to run for.
[00:03:29] Olivia: Yeah. Aitan, I want to hear what you have to say. I can also say as a member of the community, having access to the Board meetings via zoom was a game changer for me as a parent with crazy schedule-sports.
[00:03:42] Olivia: It's really hard to make the meetings in person. But being able to jump in and watch, it was wonderful. I would hope that we'd continue with access like that. I feel like we've learned so much from the pandemic that sustainable systems and for equitable access for families to cook dinner, have the video off perhaps, but be, be gaining information to be in the know of what's going on.
[00:04:08] Olivia: Aitan, can you speak to the sustainability of the model? How are you recruiting? What tips do you have for other students?
[00:04:15] Aitan: The pandemic has given us a lot more visibility among parents, but also among students. And I think that's been really beneficial and will prove beneficial in our upcoming elections this year, in which new student reps to the Board will be elected.
[00:04:31] Aitan: And I think that we in the coming months have to play a pivotal role, not only in just making ourselves visible and making what we do visible, but also encouraging students to run, encouraging underclassmen to run outreach directly from us and not just setting an example is really important. And I think that if we can get more underclassmen involved, that'd be amazing.
[00:04:54] Aitan: They're slightly at a disadvantage in the election process just because they know fewer people. The longer you spend time in a school, the more you get to know them. And also like the older you are, um, younger people like tend to know you more. So that is an added, maybe difficulty to being elected to be a student rep as an underclassmen, but still we want their voices heard and we want them to run.
[00:05:20] Aitan: And we, they have, our full support.
[00:05:23] Olivia: It's fabulous. I can imagine a mentoring system of some sort where you could really help, uh, to get future reps, but also to just guide with a role. Grace, you're a junior and I see you have more to say.
[00:05:37] Grace: So, I am the only junior right now among three seniors in the student rep position.
[00:05:45] Grace: And Adam and I have, both have the longest experience as well. And I think that, as Aitan mentioned, starting young is really important because there is a bit of a learning curve. Kadek and Aitan have been doing amazing, but it's, I think it's important that you start, and you gain that relationship with the Board members.
[00:06:09] Grace: And eventually you can have that progress. And as you get more comfortable with your position, I think you learn how to use it with greater attention and you, you know, how much say you have. The Board rep position isn't that visible. In the past years, it has steadily become more important, and students have become more aware. But when I was like a freshman, I think I only knew about it because I had an older sibling.
[00:06:44] Grace: So, I think this year we're really working on that visibility aspect, but there are a lot of opportunities that the past two years has created for students that aren't a Board rep to have a say on, uh, district policies. Last year, sexual assault and harassment was a really huge topic and we sent out a lot of surveys and we collected that student data, it was very surprising and tragic, and we presented it to the Board. And Ms. Talcott created a, it's kind of like a subcommittee where other students were able to join in. And I think that's also a great way for students to participate as well.
[00:07:32] Olivia: Fabulous. So, Ms. Talcott, being the assistant superintendent heard and saw the need as well.
[00:07:37] Olivia: To wrap our interview, I would love to hear what the future holds for each of you. Where can we follow you and continue seeing your progress with activism and making your voices heard in the world? We need you. Kadek, what are your future plans?
[00:07:53] Kadek: Yeah, so I'm actually going to Cornell next year and pursuing a major in political communications, which I'm really excited about.
[00:08:00] Kadek: Um, becoming and being a Rep to the Board has really helped me find my path and understand what I'm doing with my future. It made me realize that I want to be active in my local community, inform my peers, and hold the feet of our political leaders to the fire. I hope I can continue my work as a Rep to the Board in a different capacity, whether it be journalism or political marketing or some other role.
[00:08:21] Kadek: Being a Rep to the Board. Has really made me understand what I want to do with my future. And it's a great way for any leader or upcoming leader or activist to pursue and understand what they want to do with their future and career.
[00:08:34] Olivia: Wonderful. Thank you, Kadek. Adam, how about you?
[00:08:37] Adam: My college future is very up in the air right now.
[00:08:40] Adam: I have quite a few acceptances and I'm waiting on some more. I'm actually getting Tufts later tonight. Just a little bit nerve wracking, but that's how it goes. Wherever I am, I am intending to major in either cognitive science because I've always been very interested in human thought processes and how humans act and make decisions and behave and finding the roots of that, and that has definitely been something that has really driven my work as, as a Representative of the Board of Education.
[00:09:07] Adam: I'm always trying to figure out not only what the phenomena that exist in our school are, but also why they exist and what kinds of things can be implemented to effectively change people's behavior and decision-making for the better, both among students and administrators and policy and such. I'm really hoping wherever I am in college next year to be very involved in student leadership and student representation.
[00:09:35] Adam: And I know that a lot of universities, the student associations are known as fluff organizations that don't do too much, but I hope to be someone who can change that and maybe have a similar effect there as I've been very fortunate to have been able to have here.
[00:09:53] Olivia: Aitan, how about you?
[00:09:55] Aitan: So, like Adam, I have not decided yet where I will end up next year college-wise, but I plan on majoring in political science and in the future, hopefully working for non-profits that advocate for civil liberties and rights of vulnerable populations.
[00:10:12] Aitan: I'm specifically interested in immigration and immigration law. And my time as a student Rep to the Board of Education has allowed me to practice advocating different groups and makes me look forward to the kind of satisfaction in the future of fighting for the, for vulnerable groups, but also giving them and getting them what they deserve.
[00:10:36] Olivia: Grace, what do you hope to move into after high school?
[00:10:41] Grace: I'm currently a junior thinking about colleges in the future. I want to be a doctor and I think that advocating for people is a huge part of that. And hopefully if I get reelected next year, I am really passionate about speaking up for people, influencing decisions that benefit the students. I'm looking forward to that as well as three new representatives who join us next year.
[00:11:14] Olivia: Yes. I can't thank each of you enough for taking this time. I think your voices, your message, your advocacy, it's such important work. I just, I'm so impressed with you all and you offer so much hope for the future, for all the grownups, for all the adults out there concerned for our future, we are in good hands with youths like these folks. Kadek, Adam, Grace, Aitan, thank you, thank you, thank you for your time.
[00:11:43] Aitan: Thank you, Olivia.
[00:11:44] Grace: Thank you.
[00:11:45] Adam: Thank you so much for having us.
[00:11:47] Kadek: Thanks again.