This past Thursday various student leaders from the school attended an all-day meeting of the Principal’s Advisory Board at Summit Technology Academy. The board was created to help solve the problems at Lee’s Summit High School by allowing students and administrators to work together. Naturally, students attending held a variety of opinions on how the day went.

“Once we got an idea in our heads we were able to work things through and let our creativity fly, and we were able to create solutions to problems that could have multiple different solutions.” Junior Madeline Schmidt said.

Students left for the meeting at the beginning of the day and most of the morning was spent on various leadership and team building activities, including one where students were put into groups and built towers out of pipe cleaners and straws, intended to help prepare the students for the rest of the day.

“I think that we all have our weak points and our downsides, but I think that if we’re able to organize what we can and can’t do and then know what others can and can’t do then we can create strong teams,” Schmidt said.

The leadership activities were followed by a discussion led by Dr. Harrison over what smaller-scale issues can look like for administrators.

“It was good for a lot of us to see the administrators’ perspective and get our opinions. Because I think it’s important for them to ask us, because at the end of the day they don’t really have much knowledge of what we’re thinking as teenagers, so I think it’s important for them to ask us.” Senior Alex Benassi said.

There were many problems that students noted on how this process was handled, however, with how the morning was spent being a particular area of complaint. 

“We spent three hours being forced to build pipe cleaner towers, and we’ve just now gotten to what we’ve come here to do which is to discuss the issues that we see, as people experience life at LSHS,” Senior Jadie Gordon said.

Numerous problems were brought up during the day with most of the time after lunch being spent with the advisory students in small groups where they went over the various problems students wrote about during their advisory meeting last Wednesday. Even before going over this, it was clear to many that there were common themes to these problems.

“I think that it has a lot to do with character and with respect. Because I feel like I would never go and do anything to cause harm to another student because I just have respect for everyone I know. That I know that everyone comes to school to, you know, learn stuff.” Senior Ali Mathes said.

The process was viewed by many student leaders as unproductive.

“It feels like they’re taking the actual problem that we’re trying to voice and changing it into something that they know how to address better. Something that’s easier to talk about.” Mathes said.

In the end, the meeting spanned practically the whole school day, with students in the committee only arriving back at school near the very end of seventh hour. This was a large investment of time for students, which caused its own frustrations.

“I want to be able to voice the thoughts of the students that I know need to have their voices heard. I’m taking the time away from my studies and I’m going to have to make up for that time outside of school and I don’t feel that I’m getting an equivalent exchange for it.” Mathes said.

This is not to say that there was an entirely pessimistic outlook leaving the meeting, but many certainly hoped for more.

“I think that everyone here has some good ideas, and has some strong opinions about what needs to and what can happen, but I don’t know if they will be implemented in the right way,” Gordon said.