This year one of my only accomplishments, with the help of my department chair and a few other teachers on the civic engagement team, was the formation of the Dale Senate, an organization very similar to a student council. Students ran on platforms advocating for change at Dale Junior High, with an election being held simultaneously on November’s election day. 11 senators were elected to serve on the first ever Dale Senate, giving them a “voice” in the school. So far, the only “accomplishment” they’ve seeked to change was the changing of a 20 minute Lancer time period back to essentially free time for students. Due to a little bit of pushback and compromise, eventually the administration agreed to giving the 20 minute block on Fridays to 8th graders who delivered their end of the year culmination presentation, a “Capstone showcase”.
Watch the following video to see all the other great things happening at Dale Junior High, a school I hope to continue to work at in the future. But we’ll see.
