The Peace and Leadership Council at Wells High School has had tremendous success this year. In the fall, the group conducted a school-wide survey of the top issues faced by the school community and worked hard to analyze the survey data. They also convinced the principal to allow the council to lead the school’s Town Hall assemblies in order to provide the school community with the space and time to talk about issues at school. Town Halls are the perfect venue for PLC youth leaders to share their recommendations and successes with the rest of the school.
The school survey results showed that bullying, long lunch lines, dirty bathrooms, and the inability to hear announcements are the top student issues at Wells. The PLC worked on producing a video about the survey results and showed it to the entire school at their second Town Hall meeting. The video went a long way in cultivating school loyalty and helped the students launch the Ideal Student Campaign.
At Wells, students know how to balance work and play. Aside from working together to design root cause trees and drafting policy recommendations for the principal, students have been working on their critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills. They regularly practice public speaking and get to know each other better through fun icebreakers.
Given the success of their first video, the council decided to work on another longer video that would highlight the student centered approach that Wells has and that would inspire and motivate the students to work harder and stand together in solving their problems. The PLC believes that positive video will go a long way in addressing the issues of bullying and low morale within the school community.
Click here to watch the video created by the Wells PLC.
This video also premiered to the entire school in a youth-led town hall meeting, and it was received with flying colors! The students felt a sense of pride in being associated with a school that cares about them, and the principal loved that it presented the school in such a positive light.
Currently, the Wells PLC is working on an anti-cyberbullying training for their peers. Stay tuned for more updates!