Principal showcases student leaders
Freshmen Maura Christianson, Lauren Cuta, amd Edy McCurrie are shown socializing by the Student Leadership Board in the main rotunda during homecoming week.
September 23, 2019
The school built a new installation showcasing student leaders in the downstairs main rotunda. This new installation brings an updated and refreshing look to the rotunda while also highlighting students leaders recognized for leadership in academics to our democratic elected representatives in Student Council.
Over the course of the last four months, Principal Rob Bach proposed the idea of a student leadership display. His idea was to replace the old outdated alumni board and replace it with a display highlighting students such as National Honor Society leaders, Link leaders and Student Council leaders.
The school administration allocated money from the capital expense budget for the cost of design, photography and installation.
“I just was looking at it as an opportunity to display what we value,” Principal Rob Bach said.
This is part of Bach’s philosophy of showcasing students for students. Bach started implementing this plan a couple years ago by adding alumni pictures and display board in the stairwells. Also he added pictures of students in learning environments in the E Hallways.
“I hope that students in school begin to see who their student leaders are, so they know who to go to,” Bach said.
This is specifically targeted to the new growing concern of student voice. Bach’s efforts are a first step toward the school recognizing valuable student leaders.
I just was looking at it as an opportunity to display what we value.
— Robert Bach
Student Council’s involvement in establishing the display board, “This was brought to us but it’s been something we’ve been trying to do ourselves for a couple years by taking our own pictures. I think we were definitely on board with getting the picture done, but it was not our idea,” junior Student Council Representative Mara Doe explained.
Doe was clear that this was a small victory for student voice and for all students. This recognition is giving a new platform for students.
Doe discussed whether it is fair to have Link Leaders and NHS officers on the leadership display, “I think it is in a way that they like framed the board, because it’s like generally student leaders. It’s not like just a Student Council board. So I think they should probably add more student leaders from other clubs and areas of the school.”
Special education teacher Dusty Dennis has been the staff advisor for more than four years for Student Council. The school holds upwards of 50 officially recognized clubs all with different leaders within the clubs.
“I guess I would have preferred it more like, this is a school leader, these are the kids that are going to school board meetings and talking about commitment and entering committees and all that kind of stuff,” Dennis explained.
Dennis comments are accurate because NHS and Link Leaders are not involved in the issues at a school board level or within the highschools committees. While Student Council holds two student representatives on the school board also semantically holding multiple student reps of each grade in the three high/school committees.
“I thought if I can display students who represent the ideals of what Stillwater High School is, students again, hopefully recognize and hopefully they see themselves in there,” Bach said.
