Four high school students have been selected as student representatives to Durango School District 9-R for the 2023-24 school year.
The district is one of the few in the state that allows students to be representatives on the Board of Education, and board member Andrea Parmenter said the program is one of the most robust in the state.
Students can offer a perspective on the educational environment that parents, teachers and board members may not see.
“Kids are on the ground and on social media,” Parmenter said. “They talk to each other in a way they don't talk to adults. And so when they know what is happening in a way that we never will.”
This year’s student representative team will comprise four students compared to last year’s three. It will also mark the return of Big Picture students to the board with two seniors from the high school.
Board members have said student representatives bring a student voice to the attention of the board. An example used was former Durango High School student Hays Stritikus, who spent the 2021-22 school year as a board representative. This year, he was among a group of students who led the movement to allow students to carry Narcan on campus.
“They definitely opened our eyes to things we hadn't thought about before, and, you know, we don't always 100% agree with everything that they have to say. However, I think it's really important for them to stand up and say what they want to say,” said board president Kristen Smith.
For Big Picture students David Fitzgerald and Michaela Richardson, it’s important they represent a smaller school that may not receive the publicity that DHS does.
“I think our school kind of gets a bad rap sometimes, and it's because we don't get enough spotlight,” Richardson said. “I want people to see what our school can do for students who struggle in traditional education.”
Richardson will be a senior at Big Picture this fall and would like to study biology and botany. She has been working with the school district’s Green Team director Ron Reed to evaluate the district’s sustainability practices.
Big Picture senior David Fitzgerald said he wants to use his position to address teen mental health and what the district can do to address it.
“I went through a really rough time this last year with my mental health with just not having the correct support, even being at my small school that has more support than any other school in the district,” he said. “I spent a lot of time just in my own head and could not get past it.”
He said his personal experiences with depression and anxiety can help district staff better understand students from their point of view. Fitzgerald is on a fast track to become a special-education teacher. He will dual enroll at Fort Lewis College and DHS for his senior to get ahead on college credits.
For Durango High School junior Heidi Clay, the overall community aspect was what inspired her to apply as a student representative.
“I think this is just a way that I can enhance both the school experience and help others at the same time,” Clay said.
She said she’d like to see the school district continue to push for positive learning environments.
“We have lots of students with diverse backgrounds, and I want to make sure that everyone feels like they belong, she said. ”And then getting them the resources they need to be successful.“
DHS sophomore Mia Sholes was also given a position as a student representative. She was not immediately available for an interview.
However, a news release from the school district said she was encouraged to join the school board by Durango High School principal Jon Hoerl.
“It seems to me that a lot of adults in our community don't take students seriously,” she said in the release. “I think this is a great opportunity to be more of an advocate and be able to do something I love, which is to help people.”
tbrown@durangoherald.com
