Dan Svitich
STAR Trustee
The voice of students, of our young people, is something that certainly should not be taken for granted.
In St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic School Division (STAR), the board in its pursuit to hear all the voices of its stakeholders, values that of our students as highly as any other. They are, after all, the very people for whom our education exists.
Currently we are preparing for STAR Catholic’s annual board consultation with stakeholders. The three year education planning day is a consultation where representatives from our staff, school administration, parents, parishioners, clergy and our students come together to discuss issues facing STAR Catholic, how to improve and help the Board set its direction and priorities for the coming years. But in advance of that, STAR Catholic has wanted to delve deeper into the thoughts and opinions of students.
In doing so, consultation days were conducted with our three high schools — Christ the King School in Leduc, St. Augustine School in Ponoka, and Holy Trinity Academy in Drayton Valley. Ten students from each high school, ranging from Grades 10 to 12 participated in their respective sessions. During those consultations, held earlier this month, students gave their thoughts and feedback in sessions ranging from learning, faith and a wide open discussion that examined the horizon and what they should be receiving to best prepare them for the future.
We learn in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
This is the case with our students and the true, honest, open and candid conversation experienced. The thoughts, feedback and sincerity shared by STAR Catholic high school students shows that we truly have engaged youth, ready to speak their minds when asked and offer solutions to make things better.
It is a testament to the families that support them and the teachers who educate them, but it is also a tribute to themselves as students who care about their school, their community, their faith and their education.
The voice of students is strong in STAR Catholic, and the feedback shared will be joined with that which we receive at the three year education planning day, Feb. 6th in Wetaskiwin. From those conversations themes can emerge and a better sense of stakeholder perspectives will be seen.
Hearing the voices of our stakeholders is crucial to STAR Catholic’s Board as those voices act like the winds on a sail, pushing us in an even better direction. We are proud of how far we have traveled and look forward to the continued journeys ahead.
Dan Svitich dan.svitich@starcatholic.ab.ca is a Ponoka Trustee on the STAR Catholic Schools Division Board.