Students having a voice is important to Chatham Central Schools. New this school year, Chatham High School students have formed the Advisory Student Consultants for Educational Needs and Development (ASCEND) organization. Once a month, the students meet with Superintendent Andrew Kourt to discuss a host of topics and share students’ views about what is happening in their school. After each meeting they bring what they learn back to the high school to disseminate amongst their peers.
“I see this as an honor and a great opportunity to be able to serve this school district, help the superintendent, and advise on important student issues,” said Co-Chair Lion Bianchi, who along with Co-Chair Sasha Langley, Vice Chair Samantha Jimenez Morales, and Vice Chair Oliana Deluca, makes up ASCEND. “If students have questions, we are going to bring them up to the superintendent, and if they have issues we are going to try to address them.”
The four have all been active in student government and last spring served on the Student Stakeholders Committee that the District established to interview candidates for Chatham’s then-open superintendent position. During their interview with Mr. Kourt, he talked about how valuable he felt student input was and his desire to meet regularly with students to ensure that he always heard about the student perspective and their school experience.
“This amazing group of students came together and took that idea and created ASCEND,” said Mr. Kourt. “I am incredibly impressed with their passion for the District, their ideas, and their goal of helping Chatham be the best place it can be.”
Along with acting as a conduit between high school students and the administration, the group is looking to establish ASCEND as an ongoing presence in years to come and bring both middle and elementary school voices to the table.
“Our goal is to represent students as best we can so that all voices are heard,” explained Ms. Jimenez Morales. ”It’s also important for students to stay informed on things going on in the District. Not all of us attend board meetings, and not all of us have a clear voice in the District, and the ASCEND is a way to achieve that.”