Invites All DCE Grade 9-12 Students to Apply and Welcomes Community Member Nominations

FOR MMC
For the past several years, the D.C. Everest Area School District has increased efforts to incorporate student voice into the decision making process — seeking student perspectives on a wide range of topics from curriculum and wellness to extracurricular offerings and school culture. Beginning this fall,

DCE Superintendent Casey Nye, and his communications team, will launch the Superintendent’s Student Advisory (SSA).

The SSA will be composed of students in grades 9 – 12 who will meet on a monthly basis to discuss district-wide initiatives, challenges and opportunities with Dr. Nye and various DCE staff and community members. As part of the startup process, members of the DCE leadership team will meet with the SSA for an extended kickoff meeting in mid-October during which the leaders will introduce themselves, give a brief presentation concerning their duties and how they impact students, and then participate in one-on-one sessions with the SSA members where students can speak with them about issues of concern and ask questions.

The DCE communications team has met with a variety of districts around the country who have launched similar advisory councils and one of the most important takeaways has been — get district leadership in front of students. “The districts we’ve spoken with emphasized the importance of students meeting our leadership team to promote a better understanding of how the district works and why — or why not — specific actions can be taken. It’s another way to be transparent with students, share ideas and promote open discussions,” notes Nye.

The District seeks SSA members who represent a wide range of perspectives, backgrounds and academic paths. “Education is not a one-size-fits-all model so it’s important we have a lot of different voices at the table. Students who are willing to not only share their perspective, but that of their peers,” added Nye.

While DCE schools have a variety of student leadership groups currently available, the SSA is unique in that it is going to ask students to weigh in on district issues and to complete an individual — or group

— project that is important to them. Each monthly session will include informative presentations, small group discussions and brainstorming. It also will provide SSA members with the opportunity to occasionally meet with community leaders to discuss relevant topics. “We hosted a number of events last year where we invited community representatives from a wide range of career fields, and the majority of them expressed interest in hearing directly from our students and getting youth more involved in community leadership. The SSA is an additional pathway to making that happen,” noted

Nye.

In August, DCE sent introductory letters and SSA applications to all students in grades 9 – 12.

Application forms are due September 30. In addition, the District will send nomination forms to DCE staff and to community partners. “In speaking with other districts, they told us their staff and community partners offered unique perspectives on candidates — often providing that little extra

boost of confidence to a student who might otherwise be reluctant to try a new leadership role,”, added Nye.

The district welcomes community members, employers and leaders to submit SSA nomination forms. For more information about the SSA, visit https://seniorhigh.dce.k12.wi.us/student-life-srh/superintendents-student-advisory.