GREAT FALLS — Several student representatives from the Great Falls Public Schools District’s three high schools spoke at the GFPS Board Meeting on Monday night, tackling topics ranging from upcoming events to masks, upcoming events around the district, and Homecoming week.
“It shows leadership skills,” said Avery Debrae, a representative from Paris Gibson Education Center. “It also helps with public speaking and just really getting involved in your community and showing that you care as much as the people who are trying to give you the best education that you can.”
The representatives are all nominated by their respective schools’ principals and can serve for multiple years. The students all agreed that it was nice to feel like district officials were listening to what they had to say, even while making decisions which impact every aspect of school life for students of all ages in the district, especially during the arduous process of navigating a pandemic while trying to keep the education process consistent and steady.
“It’s nice to know that the board cares about student voices as well,” said Madison George, a rep from C.M. Russell High School. “And that we really do get to represent our entire student body and all the different activities that are happening at our schools.”
The student reps kicked off Monday night’s board meeting by addressing the board members, hoping to provide a unique perspective to the district’s decision-makers.
“(Just) that the board is listening to students and they’re not just there to get business done,” explained Alysa Curry, one of the reps for Great Falls High School. “They actually are involved in the things that they’re doing.”
