GET INSPIRED BY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
GET INSPIRED BY THE ES STUDENT COUNCIL
The ISB Communications Team had the opportunity to sit down with G6 ES Student Council members Skylar, Jolene, and Valentina, to discuss the importance of student leadership and to tell us about some of the studentled community-building initiatives they organised on campus.
What can you tell us about yourselves and why you think it is important to be in student leadership?
Skylar: This is my first time in student leadership and it has been a really good experience. We have been able to start some of our own initiatives that have proven successful!
I think it is important to be in student leadership because we can help people in our student community By being involved in the Student Council we can also inspire other students to get involved with good initiatives The Student Council offers a good opportunity to gain leadership skills and to learn how to be an upstander – by stepping up and helping others whenever you notice that they are in need of support It’s an opportunity to encourage others to follow the Big 4 – Safety, Fairness, Kindness, and Respect
Valentina: I’ve been involved in student leadership for three years in total, for one year at my old school and for the last two years here at ISB. I think the Student Council is very important because students often notice issues that may not be obvious to teachers and parents, for example bullying or conflicts on the playground, and we can bring these issues up and help parents and teachers come up with the best solutions.
Jolene: I joined the Student Council because I thought it was very inspiring I have been involved in student leadership for two years in a row, in 5th grade and now in 6th grade, and I think it has improved a lot from last year Last year we did not have as much time for it and our ideas were not always implemented The teachers were mostly in charge of selecting and implementing the initiatives This year, however, students’ voices and student involvement are stronger, and the Student Council benefits from more freedom and accountability to implement student-led initiatives on campus
In your opinion, if someone is interested in getting involved with the Student Council, what are some of the characteristics they should have?
Jolene: Confidence is important because Student Council members have to do speeches in front of the class, and sometimes in front of the entire school You have to be open-minded and flexible to other people’s opinions and also because sometimes plans can change and you have to adapt To be in the Student Council you have to be willing to help others, to be an upstander and to step in if you notice that something is wrong, and to uphold the Big 4 Character Standards.
We believe every Student Council member should be kind and respectful to the teachers and to other students, and should act to promote fairness and safety in our school Dedication and perseverance are important as well, because many activities happen after school or during recess, so you have to be able to give up some of your free time Lastly, you have to keep your academic discipline, so that Student Council activities don’t affect your grades
What can you tell us about some of the Student Council initiatives for this school year?
Valentina:
One of our initiatives was the International Week of Kindness, during which we organised activities to motivate students to be kind with one another We had a Kindness News channel in which we talked about events taking place at the school and ways in which to be kind, and we also had Kindness Tickets to appreciate students who are kind, not just because they have to help someone or because that person is their friend, but for random acts of kindness.
Another initiative is Bin for the Win, which aims to motivate students to throw things responsibly in the bin and to clean up whenever they see littering, instead of just walking past it.
Raider Community Builders is an initiative to bring highschool students to the playground during recess, in order to ensure that everyone is safe and respectful It’s a way to build a stronger community and to create stronger relationships between students from different school sections The participating highschool students and student athletes met with our Student Council and told us about some of the things they have observed during recess It is also an initiative to encourage more students to be part of Athletics.
Put Your Name On It is an initiative that started last year to encourage students to put their names on their possessions so that they are easier to find in lost-andfound and to return to their owners When we see someone’s name on their jacket or water bottle, we know who to give it back to
We’ve also been working on a new Student Help initiative for the students who are new at ISB We help them settle in, adjust to the new environment, and make friends.
What can you tell us about the Equity Movie Night that you co-hosted?
Skylar: We co-hosted a screening of the movie Zootopia in the HS Theatre. The tickets were free but we asked people to make 1 EUR donations, and we sold food during the screening to raise money for the Student Council and for community service projects The food was prepared by the Student Council members in the kitchen, which was really fun! Approximately 100 people attended and we raised around 300 EUR
Skylar, Jolene, and Valentina: At the movie intermission, we asked students questions about the movie, about how people were treated in the movie, what they found to be fair and unfair, and what they thought the message of the story was We had a conversation about stereotypes, prejudices, and about the racial divide in the movie between predators and prey and the moral of the story We invited the whole community to have a conversation about the importance of these issues and to reflect about our roles within this conversation.