School board OK's student representative idea

It may make sense that a school board would have good communication with students, being that students are the reason schools exist.

That need may be addressed in the Grand Coulee Dam School District in the 2022-23 school year by a pair of student representatives, a junior and senior, being chosen to represent the student body at school board meetings.

Sophomore Celeste LaPlace, daughter of School Board Chairman George LaPlace, made a presentation to the district’s Board of Directors Jan. 24, leading to the approval of moving forward with the idea of having student representatives.

Celeste LaPlace, who had attended a Washington State School Directors Association event last fall with her father, showed the board a PowerPoint presentation with slides highlighting why student representatives would be good to have, and how it might work.

“Student Reps serve as a liaison between the school board and the students,” one slide reads. “Their primary responsibilities include reporting concerns to the board, being present at all school board meetings, attending legislative or WSSDA sponsored events, and training the new coming student representative” 

The representatives would “provide insight to the board about student issues,” “give students practice in politics before entering the adult world,” “broaden students’ horizons,” and “remind students that their opinions matter,” the slideshow says. 

“A lot of my friends think no one cares about what they have to say,” LaPlace said. “It’s all adults here, so we don’t see the student issues.”

Students nominated to the positions, one each for juniors and seniors, would make speeches to the school board, as well as to the Associated Student Body who would elect students to fill the positions.

The representatives would meet and discuss issues with their fellow students, report their findings to the board, attend school board meetings and offer insight for board decisions, LaPlace explained.

The senior would train the junior for the senior position, so the juniors would be taking a two-year position. 

She said that there are students interested in both the junior and senior positions, although she wasn’t sure if she wanted to run for the junior position, herself, next year. 

LaPlace attended a WSSDA event in November of 2021. 

“It was really interesting because you got to see how board members interacted with their students,” she said. “And it was a lot more personal than what we have here, and I think it’s important to bring that to our school and bring a sort of human connection that we don’t have right now.”

The board agreed that having student representatives is a good idea and unanimously approved to move forward with it.