MICDS Student Government in the Upper School recently held its second annual Town Hall this month. On October 10, six groups of students reported to different locations on the Upper School campus (i.e. Brauer Hall, the cafeteria, band room, library, etc.). For 45 minutes, co-heads, representing three different branches of student government, rotated through each location for a mini town hall-style meeting. Fellow Upper Schoolers had the opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, raise concerns, and make recommendations to their elected leaders. Each branch of student government recorded the comments and suggestions from their peers. Then, on Tuesday, October 22, the student government co-heads shared a summary of the suggestions, ideas, and concerns and announced the items they would be addressing first.
The format of the Town Hall came about originally when Director of Upper School Student Leadership & Dean of Students Nicole Trueman-Shaw attended the Independent Schools Experiential Education Network Institute (ISEEN). She was inspired by the workshops that focused on empowering students and student leadership. Now, the Town Hall is held every year, giving student leaders an opportunity to guide the areas of the Upper School they impact and the student body a chance to share their voices and ideas, and make positive changes as citizens of Upper School.
Here are the outcomes of the Town Hall from the six groups of student government that ran the meetings:
Activities Committee:
- A concerted effort will be made to hold Club Fest outside.
- Homecoming and Winter Formal will include better music choices, a smoother check-in process, and catered food.
- For Field Day, the yellow quadrant will vote on a new color option, and different accessories will be added to show off school spirit.
- There will be a co-ed flag football game (PowderPuff) during Field Day.
Arts Council:
- Halloween at MICDS will include a door decorating contest and a relaxed dress day on November 1.
- Blue Whale and Arts Fest arts volunteering opportunities were announced along with upcoming performances.
- Ways to stay informed about arts activities were shared.
Athletics Committee:
- The date for the Paint-it-Pink basketball game will be announced soon, and ideas for the Winter and Spring Pep Rallies are being evaluated.
Community Service Committee:
- Seasonal newsletters will be created to educate our community about seasonal volunteering highlights and list upcoming seasonal-specific service opportunities.
- Advisory/sports service goals will allow another way to bond with advisees while making an impact.
- Community service shoutouts will take place on Instagram.
Honor Council:
- Clarity was given about the policies pertaining to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the AI scale from 1 to 5 that applies to all departments. Students were reminded to check with their teachers if they need more clarification.
- Students were reminded not to procrastinate.
Student Council:
- Teacher Hot Seat will return, and other game ideas for assemblies and class meetings have been noted.
- Senior privileges like having headphones in Hearth are being considered.
- Students gave input on the collab schedule and would like double collabs.
- An Upper School Mental Health Day is being considered.
Some of our student leaders got the chance to reflect on the value of the Town Hall experience. Jacob Daus ’25 from the Activities Committee shared, “The Town Hall was an excellent opportunity to hear from fellow students about their experiences with the events that the committee plans, from different theme ideas to new social events. It was a great way to hear from everyone across all grade levels. While our committee comprises students from every grade level, the Town Hall brings our student leaders and student body closer together, where we can trade new ideas and concepts before finalizing them!” Keaton Gion ’25, from the Honor Council, said, “Holding a Town Hall is like being a weathervane in a storm; you might get sent spinning, but you will eventually be in alignment with your community. On the Honor Council, we are constantly creating new policies and architecture around AI usage, and these Town Halls help us know the concerns of the student body.” Evie Strope ’25 also thought the meetings were valuable. “It is so important, as student leaders, to represent the ideas of the student body,” she said. “Through the Town Hall, we were able to hear feedback from all of the students about our ideas and even gain some new ones!”